One Thing Right
by Rosanya
Summary: Castiel shows up to the bunker with a child. (please review, this is my first fic!) Part 1 of my Ellie!Verse.
1. Chapter 1

"It's your turn."

"I did it last time."

"No, I had to go out and get toilet paper."

"That was because you used the last of it tee-peeing Cass's room, that doesn't count as a run."

"Yeah it does."

Sam threw his head back and closed his eyes, recognizing he was losing this battle. Dean was already in his robe for the night, there was going to be no convincing him to get dressed again to go out for groceries. Alas, they needed food for the morning, so Sam rolled his eyes at Dean one last time before snatching the keys to the impala off of the table. Dean smirked from where he sat at the library table, his ankles crossed and resting on the chair next to him.

"Don't forget pie," he called after the younger Winchester, who mumbled a response as he walked to the garage.

Dean sighed and, looking around the room, realized he left his laptop in his bedroom. He stood up and moved towards the hallway when he heard someone knocking at the main door to the bunker. He slowly turned his head, trying to think of who could be knocking. Odds were that Sam hadn't even left the garage yet, and Cass was at Jody's for Claire's birthday. Dean reached under the map table, pulling the pistol out from underneath. When he reached the top of the stairs he looked through the peephole, and pulled his face back with his nose scrunched up in confusion. He slid the gun into the pocket of his robe and swung open the door to greet the man on the other side. Although the person had his head almost pressed against the peep hole, Dean would always recognize Castiel's face. As he opened the door, he had to take a step back.

Cass wasn't alone.

In his arms was a small child, probably five or six years old. She appeared to be asleep, or at least that's what Dean was hoping.

"Cass?" he said a little too loudly. The little girl began to stir in his arms, and Cass rocked back and forth slowly and whispering Enochian ramblings until she calmed down. He moved past Dean and carefully walked down the stairs, with Dean hot on his heels.

"What the hell is going on?" Dean hissed.

Cass shook his head and quickly walked down the hallway to the nearest bedroom, one that had been unoccupied. He laid the girl on the bed and covered her gently with a blanket, rubbing her back to assure she remained asleep. He turned and saw Dean standing in the doorway, his eyes widened and his mouth agape. Cass walked next to him and gestured with his head to go into the map room.

"Cass," Dean growled, confused beyond belief. "Who is that?"

Cass sighed and turned around, his shoulders dropped forward in the way he does when he doesn't want to talk.

"Give me a minute," he walked to the library and plopped into one of the chairs, wincing and grasping at his side. Dean stepped toward him and inhaled sharply when Cass pulled his shirt up to reveal a stab wound on his abdomen.

"How did that happen?" Dean whispered harshly. "I thought you were at Jody's—"

"I was," Cass moaned as his hand lit up and healed his wound. He closed his eyes and rested back in the chair. "I had to leave early."

"Cass, you'd better start talking," Dean leaned forward and rested his hands on the back of the chair in front of him.

Cass sat up and nodded, pursing his lips. "I was at Jody's, and everyone had just gone to bed. Since I don't sleep, I was going to go for a walk. I opened the front door and Crowley was there."

"Crowley was at Jody's? Why?" Dean interrupted loudly, becoming more and more worried about his friend.

"All he would tell me was that a child needed rescuing from a demon in Texas," Cas leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. "I didn't want to believe him, but before I could argue, he had teleported us both down there."

Dean dropped his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose, confused. Why was Crowley recruiting Cass to help him deal with one of his own demons?

"When we arrived to the house where the child was being held, Crowley stopped me from going in at first. He said he had to tell me the truth about the child," Cass slowly turned to look at Dean, waiting until they locked gazes before continuing. "The home belonged to one Amelia Richardson."

Dean furrowed his brow. Why did that name sound so familiar? He looked down at the table, trying desperately to go through his memories to place the name with a face.

"When we burst into the home, she was already dead. The demon had the girl locked in her bedroom."

Dean's eyes began moving back and forth as the story started to unravel.

"The demon said that this was payback, that he was going to kill the girl, apparently Sam had exorcized this demon once before."

Dean shut his eyes tightly, trying to make sense of what Cass was saying. This demon wanted to make Sam pay, and he was going to kill the little girl to do so.

That could only mean...

"Crowley was able to sneak up behind him and kill the demon," Cass continued the story, although Dean was no longer listening. "Dean. That little girl."

The man looked up at the angel, his chest heaving as breathing became difficult. Cass could tell by Dean's demeanor that he had already figured it out, but also knew that he needed to say it out loud.

"She's Sam's daughter."

Dean coughed as his breath caught in his throat, and he leaned forward onto the table.

"I know," Cass stood up, resting his hand on Dean's shoulder. "I didn't believe it at first."

Dean exhaled sharply and straightened back up. "How do we know Crowley isn't lying?"

"Crowley wasn't completely sure at first, until he snooped around the house and found her birth certificate," Cass shrugged. "Amelia put Sam's name is on it, Dean."

"That doesn't mean anyth—"

"Did you look at her?" Cass interrupted.

"What?"

"Did you look at the girl?" The angel rephrased.

Dean shook his head and frowned, "I was a little preoccupied with the fact that you brought home a kid, I wasn't staring at her face."

"Well, she looks just like him," Cass responded. "Didn't you tell me that Sam and Amelia had one last fling?"

Dean thought back, then nodded. "Yeah, but she was also with her back-from-the-dead-husband."

"When Sam gets home, I can compare their DNA."

"You what?" Dean replied, holding a hand out. "I'm not letting you cut into a kid, Cass."

"It's painless, I just have to touch both of their foreheads at the same time and see if their molecules have similarities," Cass lowered his voice. "I would never harm a child, Dean."

"I know, Cass," Dean ran a hand through his hair. "This is insane."

"I agree."

"What I don't understand is how that demon knew that she was Sam's kid," Dean shook his head slowly. "I mean, Sam doesn't even know."

"Crowley and I determined that as well. She had recently been enrolled in kindergarten, and her mother gave her the Winchester surname."

Dean pulled the chair out from the table and sat down, staring at the wall. He had so many thoughts running through his mind.

"What the hell are we going to tell Sam?" Dean moaned.

Cass tilted his head, "That he has a daughter and she is currently sleeping in a bedroom down the hall?"

Dean snorted, looking to the angel. In the years that they had spent together, Castiel had grown himself a sense of humor and sarcasm that even Dean found amusing.

"I honestly didn't know what to do, Dean. I brought her here to keep her safe. Crowley took us back to Jody's, and I just got in my car and started to drive. I didn't know where else to go," he trailed off. "Now that the monster world knows that there is a child of Sam Winchester, I couldn't just drop her off anywhere."

"Hey, you did the right thing," Dean leaned forward and rested his hand on Cass's forearm. "You're right, we have to make sure she's safe."

"It took us so long to drive here, children urinate all the time," Cass moaned, making Dean laugh.

"Why didn't you call me, Cass?"

"When I left Jody's, I wrote her a note telling her that I was leaving abruptly, but I forgot my cell phone there."

"What about a pay phone?"

"I couldn't exactly leave her in the car while I went into a phone booth, Dean," Cass responded. "She isn't a very fearful child, which doesn't bode well when demons are after her."

"What do you mean she 'isn't fearful'?" Dean held his fingers up as air quotes.

Cass sighed, "When we stopped to get gas, I told her to remain in the vehicle, but she jumped out and started talking to the woman in the car behind us. She doesn't listen well."

Dean chuckled, thinking about how much the kid must resemble Sam. He remembered a situation almost identical to that which happened when his little brother was about seven years old; their father had been furious.

Both of the men jumped when they heard a whine from down the hall. Cass stood and held his hand out to Dean, who had moved toward the hall.

"She doesn't know you yet, I'll go."

Dean nodded and remained in his seat. He kept shaking his head, trying to wrap his mind around this whole situation. He started to chuckle to himself when he realized that Cass had been stuck with a six year old the last day and a half. Just as he was about to get up and go peek in on them, he heard the soft padding of feet coming down the hallway. He spun in his chair and couldn't help but smile at the sight before him.

Cass was holding the little girl's hand, guiding her into the map room. She rubbed her eyes and yawned loudly before looking at Dean.

It was like looking at a picture of Sam as a child. The only difference was that her chocolate brown hair was longer than his had been at that age, but not by much. She had two lopsided pigtails, which made Dean wonder if Cass had somehow figured out how to do hair on this road trip of theirs. She had Sam's big hazel eyes, and Dean could even barely see the ring of yellow around her pupils, just like Sam. She had the same crazy waves in her hair, and a cute little button nose.

Cass walked her over to the large doorway of the library, and she hid behind his leg, "Eleanor, this is—"

"Don't call me that," she muttered.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I forgot," Cass rolled his eyes. Dean snickered, loving how this tiny human was effecting him. "Ellie."

Dean leaned forward in his chair, making sure he stayed at her eye height. "Hey kiddo, I'm Dean."

She wiggled her lips and furrowed her brow as if in deep thought before responding. "That's a weird name."

He narrowed his eyes and ignored Cass, who coughed to cover up a quiet laugh.

"Well, Ellie," he exaggerated her name, learning from Cass's mistake. "Are you hungry or anything?"

She instantly smiled, and Dean relaxed. Her smile was so perfect, and just like Sam's.

"Then let's go get you something to eat," Dean stood up, holding his hand out for her. She looked up at Cass, who nodded, then slowly went to Dean and slipped her tiny fingers in his hand.

Just as they moved into the hallway to go to the kitchen, Dean heard the door opening to the garage. He snapped his gaze over to Cass, who inhaled deeply.

"Actually, why don't you go with Cass," he smiled down at her, hoping she wouldn't see his anxiety. She shrugged her shoulders and waited for Cass to show her the way to the kitchen, seemingly okay with the change.

Dean waited for Sam to enter the library, trying to calm his breathing for the conversation he was about to have with his little brother.

Sam walked in, multiple bags on each hand, before plopping them on the table. "Thanks for the help, ass."

"Sorry," Dean mumbled, stepping forward to help and empty a bag. "Let me help you with that."

Sam wrinkled his face in confusion, "Why are you being so nice?"

"Um," Dean began to bite the side of his lip. "Listen man, some stuff happened while you were gone."

Sam scoffed. "I was gone for like fifteen minutes, Dean."

"I know."

Sam stopped messing with the groceries long enough to look at his brother's face, and the seriousness he saw worried him.

"What's going on?"

"Well," Dean rubbed the back of his neck, trying to decide where to begin.

"For starters, you have a kid."


	2. Chapter 2

Sam sat in the chair, trying desperately to listen to the story Dean was telling him, but his mind kept venturing back to 'you have a kid'.

"Sammy?" Dean waved his hand in front of his brother's face, sensing the zoning out that was occurring.

Sam shook his head and slowly looked back to Dean, trying to remember to breathe.

"Listen man, I know it's a lot," Dean continued. "It's probably up there for most crazy things that have happened to us."

"We're sure?" was all Sam was able to squeak out, trying desperately to swallow but finding his mouth too dry.

"Cass did say that he could safely do a sort of angel paternity test," Dean replied. "But I met her, and she's all you."

Sam exhaled a soft chuckle, closing his eyes. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands.

"Dean," he whispered so quietly, his brother almost didn't hear him. "What am I gonna do?"

Dean let out a slow, calculated breath before speaking. He knew that in this moment, Sam needed much more than just a quick hit of sarcastic advise. His brother was struggling badly, and needed guidance.

"Well, let's take it one small step at a time."

"Okay," Sam sniffled, and when he sat up and looked at him, Dean saw tears welling in his eyes. He was truly terrified.

"First, you need to meet her," Dean laughed gently, slapping a hand on Sam's back.

"Alright," Sam took a deep breath in through his nose, then blew it out his mouth. "Where is she?"

"She's in the kitchen with Cass," Dean watched as Sam slowly stood from the chair, staying close by in case the emotions caused Sam to be wobbly on his feet.

"What am I supposed to say to her?"

Dean shrugged, "Just talk to her, she's not scary."

"And her name is Eleanor?"

"Yeah, but she apparently prefers to be called Ellie," Dean snorted. He continued to watch Sam, who had made it across the library but seemed to be stuck from moving into the hallway. "Do you want me to bring her out here?"

Sam bit his lip before nodding quickly. He felt that being in the biggest room possible might make this experience the least scary—for both of them.

Dean took a deep breath before walking to the kitchen. He entered and couldn't help the smile that followed, as Ellie's face was covered in chocolate.

"Oh Dean," Cass stood up sheepishly. "The only food I could find was a snickers bar."

Dean thought back to all of the food sitting on the library table, realizing he should've had Cass wait to feed her anything.

"Don't worry about it," he waved Cass off, "Hey Ellie, I want you to come meet someone."

She finished licking the last of her fingers, and hopped off of the chair to take Dean's open hand. Dean winced as the chocolate coated his hand, and instead led her to the sink to wash her hands and face first. Cass snickered from the doorway.

"What?" Dean asked, looking at the grinning angel as he helped Ellie dry her hands.

"Nothing, you're just really good with children," Cass shrugged. Dean rolled his eyes before holding his hand out to Ellie again.

"You ready, squirt?"

She gave him a look of trepidation, apparently mulling over the new nick name before she nodded and rested her hand in his.

"Wish me luck," he whispered to Cass as they passed him in the doorway.

Cass walked a few steps behind where Dean was guiding Ellie to the library, silently hoping for this interaction to go well. Sam was standing facing the opposite direction as they stopped in the doorway, and Dean cleared his throat. Sam took a quick breath, and then spun around.

"Hi—"

"I know him."

Sam and Ellie spoke at the same time. Dean looked down at Ellie, confusion evident on his face.

"You know him?" Dean asked loudly.

Ellie nodded, pointing to Sam. "That's Sam. He's my dad."

Dean turned to look at Sam, whose pale face had him worried he might pass out at any second.

"Ellie, how do you know that?" Cass spoke up from behind them.

She turned to respond to the angel, "my mom showed me pictures. She said that I might get to meet him someday, so she wanted me to know what he looked like."

At the mention of Amelia, Sam walked slowly around the table towards the trio in the doorway. Once he reached them, his gaze never moving from Ellie's, he got down on one knee in front of her.

"Hi Ellie," he whispered, waving a hand quickly. "So, you know who I am?"

"Yup," she smiled. "Now I'm not so scared anymore, because at least my dad is here with me."

Dean let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The kid was only six years old, and yet she seemed wise beyond her years.

Ellie stepped forward and let go of Dean's hand, before resting her small fingers on Sam's cheek.

"You're old though."

Cass and Dean laughed at that, almost startling the young girl with their bellowing laughter.

Once they all took a breath, Sam realized Ellie seemed troubled with something.

"What's wrong Ellie?"

"Um, am I allowed to call you dad?" she said quietly, looking down and dragging a toe along the ground.

Dean looked at his little brother and realized he was done for. This little girl, with those seven little words, had completely destroyed any tough exterior Sam previously had.

Sam clenched his jaw, trying to keep any tears from forming, and quickly nodded, opening his arms slowly. As soon as he did, Ellie leapt forward onto his chest. He leaned down and rested his head on the top of hers, wrapping his large arms around her. She was so small he could completely engulf her body.

Dean and Cass watched the interaction, both smiling proudly. Dean cleared his throat and went to grab the groceries to put away when a single tear managed to escape his eye.

"Hey, how about some real food, squirt?" Dean attempted to brighten the mood.

Ellie gave Sam's neck one last squeeze before she pulled back. "Like what?"

"Uh Dean," Sam stood and grabbed the back of his brother's elbow. "I didn't get food for a kid."

"We'll make do," Dean shrugged. "Ellie, do you like hot dogs?"

"Yeah!" she shouted excitedly.

Sam groaned quietly, tilting his head and giving Dean a disapproving look.

"What?" Dean responded as he walked away. "She's not gonna eat your vegan tofu crap."

Ellie watched as Dean and Cass carried the rest of the groceries to the kitchen, remaining next to Sam.

"Hey, um…dad?" she tugged on his hand to get him to look down at her. "Why is Dean calling me squirt?"

Sam scoffed with a smile. "It's just a nick name that some people call others who are smaller than them."

"Oh," she nodded, again deep in thought before adding, "But he's a lot smaller than you."

Sam snorted in response, shaking his head. "So you think I should call him squirt?"

Ellie shrugged her shoulders, then stepped into the hallway. "Can we go have hot dogs now?"

"Sure." She seemed to remember where the kitchen was, so Sam let her lead. When they reached the kitchen, Dean and Cass were arguing.

"She needs vegetables, Dean."

"I never ate my veggies and I turned out just fine."

"Your diet is atrocious."

"So what, I look great."

Ellie walked in first and tried to hop up onto the dining chair near where Cass was standing. Sam followed, plopping down in the chair across from her. Dean stood at the stove, turning the hot dogs in the pan when he glanced back and realizing Ellie was still struggling to get up into her chair. He looked at Sam and gave him a look, gesturing to the six year old who was desperately trying to jump up onto the chair. Sam made eye contact with Dean and cleared his throat before getting up and walking toward Ellie.

"Do you want help?" he asked quietly, leaning down and holding his hands out.

"No, I can do it," she grunted, able to slide one leg onto the seat of the chair but failing as she jumped only to fall on her bottom on the floor.

Sam raised an eyebrow and looked back to Dean, who pointed down to her with his spatula. "Come on, I'll help you."

"I can do it myself," Ellie whined, pushing Sam's hands away as he tried to scoop her up off of the floor.

Sam held his hands up in defeat, then crossed his arms as he waited for her to try again. She huffed, then wrinkled her nose and jumped as high as she could. Just before she hit the chair, Sam saw Cass nonchalantly flick a finger to use his mojo to help her out, and Ellie was able to pull herself up. Sam chuckled at Cass, who shrugged.

"See, I told you I could do it," Ellie stuck her tongue out at Sam, who nodded and moved back to his own chair.

"Here we go," Dean walked to the table and set a paper plate in front of Ellie, a single hot dog in a bun on it. "Do you want anything on it?"

"Ketchup."

Dean nodded and went to the fridge, silently hoping that the ketchup they currently had wasn't expired. Luckily it still had about a month left, so he grabbed it and squirted some on her hot dog.

"I want chocolate milk."

Sam and Dean both looked at each other, their eyes wide. Neither could think of the last time they had milk in the bunker. Sam was recently on a no-dairy kick, and Dean had long ago swore off any beverage that didn't contain alcohol.

"Um," Sam moaned as Ellie turned to look at him. "We don't have any."

"But I want some," she whipped her head back to Dean, her ponytails flying.

Dean lifted his shoulders at her and narrowed his lips. "Sorry kid, we're out."

Ellie then dropped her chin slightly and looked up at Dean, her long eyelashes reaching the top of her eyelids. She pouted her bottom lip out just a little, and even added a quick sniffle. When Dean didn't respond how she wanted, she turned back to Sam and whimpered. Dean looked from the little girl to his brother and held back his laughter.

Oh, they were in for it.

This kid had mastered the puppy dog look, and Sam was falling for it hard core. He couldn't tear his eyes away from hers that mirrored his own.

"Pretty please," she whispered.

"I can go grab some for her," Cass interjected. Dean and Sam both snapped their heads towards the angel, who looked saddened himself. "I do not like it when she looks like that."

Dean laughed out loud as Cass left the kitchen, then turned back to the stove. Sam shook his head with a smile, then got up to get himself something out of the fridge. He stopped by the stove and leaned into Dean, bumping his shoulder.

"Aren't you supposed to cut up hot dogs for little kids?" Sam muttered quietly, looking back to where Ellie was happily munching on her food.

"She's six, Sam, she's not a baby," Dean whispered.

"I'm so out of my element here, man," Sam opened the fridge and looked through all the groceries he had bought, instead opting for a beer.

Dean turned to his brother, a large bite of hot dog in his mouth. "Roo can do dis."

"I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you here," Sam said before taking a long swig of beer. "You've been through this before."

Dean's jaw dropped and a small bit of food fell out, before he wiped his chin and swallowed loudly. "I am one hundred percent certain I have never been through this," he motioned between Sam and Ellie.

Sam rolled his eyes. "I meant dealing with a kid, you were good with Ben."

"Ben was an eleven year old boy," Dean pointed to Sam's chest. "She's a six year old girl. Very different."

"But still," Sam added, keeping an eye on Ellie to make sure she didn't choke. "The only kids I've ever had to deal with were ones that we were saving from monsters."

Ellie seemed to tense up at the word 'monsters', her shoulders jumping slightly. Sam looked at her, then furrowed his brow.

"Ellie, are you okay?" he stepped forward slowly. She just nodded, wiping the ketchup off of her face with her sleeve.

"I just miss my mommy."

Sam swallowed loudly, taking a deep breath. "I bet."

"Is she in heaven?" Ellie whispered, pushing the last bite of her hot dog around her plate.

"I'm sure she is," Sam set his hand on her back gently. She sighed and looked up and him, her eyes welling up with tears. Sam felt a strong pull and, before he knew what he was doing, he reached down and pulled her up into his arms, hugging her tightly. She wrapped her legs around his waist and snuggled her face into the crook of his neck. Sam put one hand to the back of her head, rubbing her hair. He turned around and looked at Dean, who had pulled his phone out and snapped a picture.

"Really?"


	3. Chapter 3

Sam sat on the edge of his bed, watching as Ellie laid on the floor on her stomach, her eyes glued to his computer screen where he had pulled up some children's show on Netflix. She giggled intermittently, laughing at someone on the show, and it made Sam smile. Her laughter was so pure, so tiny.

"Sam?" Dean knocked gently on the door, then gestured with his head for Sam to join him in the hallway.

"What's up?" Sam sighed as they stood directly outside his room. He stayed in a position where he could still keep an eye on Ellie.

"Don't you think it's time to put her to B-E-D?"

"I know you just spelled bed," Ellie piped up from the floor, her eyes never leaving the screen.

Dean peeked his head around the corner of the door and smiled down at her. "Aren't you getting sleepy?"

"Nope," she kicked her feet back and forth in the air.

Dean turned to look at Sam with an eyebrow raised. "It's ten o'clock, dude. She needs to go to bed."

"She doesn't want to yet," Sam muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Parenting lesson numero uno; they go to bed when you say it's time," Dean grabbed his brother's shoulders and turned him, pushing him back into the bedroom. "Let's go Daddy."

Sam shuffled into his room, pushing Dean's hands off his shoulders. He turned back to see Dean standing in the hallway with two thumbs up and a ridiculous smile on his face.

"Uh, Ellie?"

"I don't want to go to bed," she replied, reaching forward and swiping to the next episode.

"Well," Sam cleared his throat. "It's time for bed."

"One more episode."

Sam turned and gave Dean a pleading look, to which the older man responded with a serious expression and a military point to Ellie first, then to her bedroom down the hall. Sam frowned and rolled his eyes, clapping his hands together.

"Come on Ellie."

"No."

"Ellie."

"No."

Sam inhaled deeply before walking towards her and closing his laptop, effectively ending her show prematurely. Sam grabbed his laptop and dropped it on his bed, then turned back to her and crossed his arms. She looked up and him with her best puppy dog eyes, her bottom lip pouting out dramatically. Sam sniffed loudly and rocked back and forth on his feet, moving his gaze to anywhere but Ellie's face. Dean cleared his throat loudly from the hallway, and Sam whipped his head around and held his arms gesturing toward Ellie. Dean tilted his head and gave Sam an incredulous look before moaning and walking quickly towards Ellie.

"Time for bed. Let's go," he reached down an open hand.

"I don't want to," she repeated, finally sitting up from her previous lying position. Dean just looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, then squinted his eyes. Ellie wrinkled her nose and stared at Dean for a moment, then sighed and took his hand to stand up.

"Let's go," Dean put his arm out as she slowly walked past Sam, looking up at him with one last attempt at the puppy dog eyes. "Uh huh, keep walking."

"Fine," she mumbled, then stopped in the doorway. "I need PJs."

Sam turned to look at Dean, a worried look in his eyes. Dean looked around the room, his hands on his hips before he went to Sam's dresser and started rifling through it.

"Dude, what are you doing?"

"Finding her something to wear," Dean pulled a few shirts out, giving each one a quick look before shoving it back in the drawer.

"Just pick one," Sam huffed from the door.

"She can't wear just anything," Dean muttered, his face brightening when he held up a specific shirt. "Perfect."

Sam watched as Dean crossed the room and handed the clothing to Ellie. "Really, that one?"

"Absolutely."

"That shirt is like twenty years old," Sam chuckled. "She doesn't even know who they are."

"Oh, she will," Dean winked at Sam before squatting in front of Ellie. "Do you remember where your room is?"

Ellie nodded, running her hands over the worn material in her hands. She walked down the hall towards her room, and Dean watched to make sure she made it into her bedroom before turning to look at Sam.

"We gotta lock her door at night," Sam sighed, moving into the hallway. "There are so many weapons in the bunker."

"We can't just lock her in her room, Sam," Dean responded. "What if she needs something?"

"Well what do you suggest, we aren't exactly swimming in baby gates," Sam scoffed.

Dean puffed his lips out and made a 'tsk'ing sound, looking up and down the hallway. Then he walked to the map room and opened a drawer, finding several rolls of tape. He found one that was bright yellow, and grabbed it with a smile. He returned to Sam, holding up the roll.

"What, we're gonna tape her to her bed?" Sam asked with a concerned look.

"Dude, no," Dean rolled his eyes as he stood next to Ellie's door, laying down a line of tape on the floor. "We'll just tell her that she can't go outside of the tape mark without one of us."

"Think she'll listen?"

"I think she'll listen to me," Dean smirked. "She knows that you'll let her do whatever she wants if she just looks at you with those big eyes."

Sam grunted, crossing his arms and looking at the floor. "Whatever."

Dean walked down the hall to the edge of his own bedroom door, laying down another piece of tape. He stood up and nodded, looking at his work. "I'm a genius."

Ellie's door opened, and she walked outside holding a stuffed giraffe. Sam smiled, Cass had bought that for her when he had left to get milk, and had left it in her bedroom for her to find. She seemed to like it.

"What does AC/DC mean?" she asked, holding the baggy shirt out and looking at the letters adorning it.

Sam closed his eyes and chuckled. "Ask Dean."

"You will learn, grasshopper," Dean walked towards her, then ruffled her hair. "Ellie, you see these pieces of tape on the floor? If you wake up, you can't go outside of those lines. Do you understand?"

"I guess," Ellie nodded slowly. "But if I have a nightmare I can go to my dad's room right?"

"Or mine," Dean added, pointing down the hall where the other tape mark was. "Now, time for bed."

"Okay," Ellie sighed, then turned and grabbed one of Sam's fingers before asking in a small voice. "Will you tuck me in?"

"Um, sure," Sam followed her into the room. Ellie jumped up onto the bed, scooting under the covers. Sam looked back to Dean, who was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. Dean just nodded once, mouthing 'go'. Sam tightened his lips, then helped Ellie pull the blankets over her body. He patted the bed, then turned to leave.

"Can I have a good night hug?" Ellie's tiny voice piped up.

Sam turned back and nodded, leaning down to give her a quick hug. Ellie squeezed her arms around his neck, and just as he was about to pull back she placed a quick peck on his cheek.

"Good night," she whispered, releasing him.

"Good night," he responded quietly, smiling down at her before turning to the doorway. Dean was standing there with a big smile plastered on his face. Sam walked by him and gently shoved him in the shoulder. "Shut up."

Dean gave Ellie a quick wave from the doorway, then turned and followed Sam. They both sighed, emotionally drained from the events of the day.

"Drink?" Dean gave his brother a look, to which Sam nodded eagerly.

"Please," Sam chuckled as they moved towards the kitchen. "Where's Cass?"

As if on cue, they rounded the corner and found the angel coming in the other door of the kitchen.

"Where's the child?" the angel asked, looking around the room.

"She's in bed," Dean responded, pulling a bottle of whiskey out of the freezer. He grabbed three glasses from the cupboard as the other men sat at the table.

"What, no glass for me?"

Sam and Dean shot their gaze to the corner of the kitchen where Crowley was standing. Sam stood up quickly and pulled his gun, always on guard when it came to the king of hell.

"Oh Samantha, you and your machoness always makes me wet between the knees," Crowley waved a hand. "Is that any way to treat the one who saved your child?"

Sam clenched his jaw. "It was your demon that killed her mother."

Crowley held a finger up. "You know better than I that I cannot keep track of every single demon."

"How did you get in here, Crowley?" Dean grumbled.

"Feathers here let me in," the demon gestured to Cass, who was looking down to the floor.

"He said he needed to speak with you regarding Ellie," Cass said quietly.

"So talk," Dean growled.

"I thought that we were all closer by now," Crowley slid his hands into his pockets, tilting his head as he looked back and forth between the three men. "How many times must I rescue someone you love for you three to thank me?"

"Fine. Thank you, Crowley," Dean held his arms out. "We owe you one."

"And I plan to collect, eventually," Crowley shrugged. "But for now, how is tiny Winchester settling in?"

"She's good," Cass replied, ignoring the looks from Sam and Dean, "He did assist me in saving her."

"That doesn't mean we're all going to sit here and sing kumbaya," Dean hissed. "He's still a demon."

"Oh squirrel, such venom," Crowley rubbing his face. "I'm honestly glad that the tiniest Winchester is safe."

"Why do you care?" Dean spit out before taking a swig of whiskey.

"Whilst I was traveling with your angel and little Eleanor," Crowley leaned against the counter, "She made an impact."

"What does that even mean?" Sam asked, looking between Cass and Crowley.

"She made his human side feel again," Cass responded. "I caught him playing peek-a-boo at one poi-"

"Hush," Crowley interrupted. "I'll take my leave, I just wanted to make sure she was settling in with you lumberjacks. Lord knows you aren't the most maternal lot."

"Crowley," Sam said so quietly as Crowley walked to the doorway of the kitchen, the demon almost didn't hear him. "Thank you. Really."

Crowley stopped in his tracks and slightly turned his head back and smiled. "You're welcome. Take care of tiny."


	4. Chapter 4

Sam awoke suddenly to someone touching his feet over the covers of his bed. He snapped awake and reached under his pillow to grab his gun, only to find it gone. He sat up quickly and looked to the foot of his bed and found Ellie standing there with her stuffed giraffe in her arms, the large t-shirt he had given her to sleep in dragging on the floor.

"Dad?"

Sam still wasn't used to being called that. He sighed, looking at the clock on his bedside table. 2:40am. "Ellie, what are you doing up?"

"I had a bad dream," she remained at the foot of his bed, rocking back and forth on her feet. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's okay," Sam sat up, pulling his blankets back. "You wanna come here?"

Ellie slowly walked to the side of Sam's bed, hugging her stuffed animal tightly. She moved directly in front of Sam, biting her lip. He waited until she looked up at him, and opened his arms. She smiled and carefully climbed into his lap, resting her head on his chest.

"Do you…do you want to talk about it?" Ellie shook her head against him, and started playing with the material of his shirt.

"Can't we just get up now?" she murmured into his chest.

"Definitely not," Sam chuckled, yawning. "It's the middle of the night. Come on, I'll walk you back to your room."

As he moved to set her on the ground, her grip on his shirt tightened and she whimpered. He sighed, then stood and carried her into the hallway, feeling her smile against him. He walked down the hall and stopped just before the stripe of yellow tape on the floor. Sam walked into her bedroom, and laid her down under her covers. He moved to pull her blankets up, and she grabbed his wrist.

"Can you sit with me until I fall asleep?" she asked, the puppy dog eyes in full affect.

Sam moaned, trying desperately not to make eye contact with his daughter. In just the last day, she had noticed how easily she could bend him to her whim by giving him this particular look, and while he was trying to work on ignoring it, he had no strength this early in the morning.

He finally looked down at her and nodded, and she happily scooted over and patted the bed next to her. Sam sat on the bed and pulled his legs up under the blanket, leaning against the headboard. He was grateful that they had given her a room with a full size bed instead of a twin. Ellie laid down facing Sam, her hands reaching under her head.

"Good night Dad."

"Night Ellie," he reached over and moved a piece of hair out of her face.

Dean woke up the following morning and slowly padded down the hallway towards the kitchen, passing Sam's room. He stopped in his tracks and backed up, surprised to see that his brother wasn't in his room. Usually by this time of day, Sam would have already been awake and doing exercises on the floor in his bedroom. Dean shrugged his shoulders and continued down the hall, rubbing his eyes.

As he walked by Ellie's room, he had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop his laughter. Sam was curled up on the very edge of Ellie's bed, his mouth agape with his head turned against the headboard at a severely uncomfortable angle. A tiny foot was resting on his shoulder, the toes dangerously close to his open mouth. Ellie was upside down in the bed, completely spread out and taking up most of the bed.

Dean shook his head and closed his eyes, chuckling softly to himself. He took a quick picture on his cell phone before walking up to the side of the bed, gently nudging his brother.

Sam startled awake, suddenly confused when he saw the toes in his face. Then he turned and looked at Dean, his eyes slick with sleep.

"How's your neck?" Dean chuckled as Sam carefully pulled Ellie's leg off of him and sat up.

Sam moaned, tilting his head from side to side and rubbing the back of his neck. "Not good."

"How'd you end up in here?"

"She had a nightmare," Sam turned as she began to stir awake. She stretched her small body, then rubbed her eyes as she fully awoke.

"I'm hungry," she mumbled, rolling over and curling into a ball.

Sam shook his head before turning to Dean. "She's definitely your niece."

"Hey, she's growing," Dean walked towards the hallway. "Come on, squirt, I'll make you pancakes."

Ellie immediately sat up and jumped off the bed, chasing Dean down the hall as Sam slowly followed.

They all ate breakfast, with Ellie eating almost as much bacon as Dean. Sam was finally able to convince Ellie to eat a banana instead, after bribing her with more bacon. Just as they were finishing up, Dean's phone began to ring. He looked at his phone and smiled before answering.

"Hey Jody."

"Am I correct to assume that you boys found out that Sam has a daughter and you didn't call me?"

Dean's jaw dropped and he babbled, his mouth opening and closing. He pulled the phone away from his ear and put the call on speaker.

"Cass called," Jody continued. "I'm on my way now, be there in about an hour."

"What? Why?" Sam interrupted.

"We'll have a discussion about withholding information when I get there," Jody finished before ending the call. Dean and Sam looked at each other incredulously, both trying to figure out Jody's issue.

"She's not angry," Cass said, walking into the kitchen. "She just wants to help with Ellie."

"Who's Jody?" Ellie tilted her head and looked at Sam.

"She's one of our friends," Sam said, smiling, "You'll like her."

"Okay," Ellie shrugged and took the last piece of bacon off of Dean's plate while he wasn't looking. When Dean looked back and saw his meat gone, he looked to the little girl with his mouth dropped open. She simply smiled and licked her fingers, then started to giggle. Sam couldn't help but join in on her laughter, it was so contagious. Dean continued to look hurt, then gave up and stood up, piling everyone's plates on top of his.

"I think Jody was planning on buying her some clothing," Cass added, watching as Ellie walked across the room in her makeshift pajamas, almost tripping more than once on the baggy material. "When we spoke earlier she asked what size she wears, but I am not well versed in children's clothes."

"Yeah well, me either," Sam scoffed. "We could look at the clothes she came in last night?"

"I can do that. Then I'll text Jody," Cass responded before moving into the hall.

"Sam, where's the kid?" Sam spun around and realized that the brothers were alone in the kitchen.

"Ellie?"

Sam and Dean waited for a brief moment, listening for a response before the panic set in. Sam ran into the hallway, rushing towards the library. Dean went out the other kitchen door, headed for the bedrooms.

"Squirt, where'd you go?" Dean shouted, looking in every room as he walked past them. When he reached her bedroom, he only found Cass sending Jody pictures of the sizes her clothing was. "Cass, you seen the kid?"

"No, why?" Cass asked, his voice going lower. "Did you lose her?"

Dean grunted and continued down the hall, calling her name. Cass joined in as they searched every room of the bunker. As they got closer to the library, they heard Sam yelling.

"Ellie, no!"

Dean and Cass ran into the map room just in time to see Sam sprinting up the stairs. Their eyes ventured to the top, where Ellie was backed against the bunker door. Sam grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to him before coming back down the steps and setting her on the map table.

"Don't ever do that again," Sam slammed his hands on both sides of her hips as Ellie curled her legs under her chin.

"I just wanted to see if the sun was out," she trailed off, tears rapidly forming in her eyes.

Dean took a few steps towards his brother and put his hand out, "Sam, calm down."

"She was going to go outside," Sam hissed. "They could've…"

"Ellie," Dean turned and smiled at his niece. "Go with Cass to your bedroom for a minute."

She nodded and wiggled under Sam's arms and off the table, taking the angel's outstretched hand.

Dean waited until they were out of earshot to speak, "You know she wouldn't have been able to open that door."

"But what if she did?" Sam shouted. "Who knows what's just waiting outside to capture her?"

"Sam," Dean leaned forward, trying to get him to look up from where Ellie had previously been sitting on the table. His brother finally stood up straight, his eyes glistening with angry tears.

"I'm already terrified to lose her."

"I know," Dean reached forward and pulled Sam down into a hug, patting his back several times. "It sucks. Welcome to fatherhood."

"I don't think I'm cut out for this, Dean," Sam pulled away and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yes you are, now let's go lay down some rules with her so we don't all lose our minds," Dean gestured with his head to go towards Ellie's room.

"Cass, that's not how a princess would talk."

They heard Ellie giggling before they arrived to her room, and found Cass sitting cross-legged on her floor. He heard the two men walk up and immediately stood up.

"Hey squirt, we need to set some rules here," Dean moved to her bed. "Come pop a squat."

"Okay," she got up and jumped onto the bed next to him.

"First rule, you can't go running off by yourself," Dean began. "You can play in your bedroom, the kitchen, and the library, but you need to ask before you go anywhere else."

"What if I'm with someone?"

Dean sighed, "Then that's fine. Rule number two, you cannot go outside."

"Why can't I go outside?" she asked quietly, her gaze shifting to Sam.

Sam looked over to Dean and Cass, clenching his jaw. He didn't want to tell her about everything that was out there, didn't want to scare her, but yet he couldn't just keep her locked up in the bunker without giving her a reason.

"I know a monster killed my mommy," she whispered, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. Sam was starting to recognize this as a defensive maneuver of hers. "Is that why?"

"We just want to keep you safe, Ellie," Cass spoke up.

She exhaled deeply, "So I can never go outside ever again?"

"No, you just can't go outside by yourself," Dean chimed in.

"Okay," Ellie nodded her head and hopped off the chair, looking to her father. "Sorry for scaring you."

"It's okay," Sam squatted in front of her. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Ellie shrugged. "My friend Maddy's dad yells all the time too."

Sam swallowed loudly, then dropped his head. He had wanted so badly to not be like his own father, and yet he'd only met his daughter yesterday and had already yelled at her loud enough to make her cry.

"Well, I promise not to yell like that anymore."

"No matter what?" she smiled mischievously.

"Not what I meant," Sam rolled his eyes before pulling her in for a quick hug. Her little arms squeezed his neck, and he took a deep breath. Maybe he could do this after all.


	5. Chapter 5

"Boys, a hand?"

Sam, Dean, and Cass all jumped when they heard Jody's voice coming from the front door of the bunker. They had purposely left it unlocked, knowing she would be arriving soon. The three men hurried down the hall to the map room, then up the stairs, all giving each other interesting looks when they saw Jody walking past them with multiple bags on her arms.

"There's plenty more in the car," she yelled behind her. They went out to her vehicle, all groaning when they saw just how many bags were in her trunk. They were full of toys, clothes, even small dinnerware. Between the three of them, they were able to grab everything in one go, and joined Jody as she piled everything onto the map table.

"You didn't have to do all this, Jody," Sam laughed as he pulled multiple barbie dolls out of a bag.

Jody turned and tilted her head at him. "Oh yeah, because you boys were going to go shopping for little girl attire?"

Dean opened his mouth to argue, then shrugged, realizing she was correct. Getting the kid chocolate milk and a single stuffed animal was the most that any of them had done thus far, and she needed some clothes that weren't an old shirt of Sam's.

"Where is she?" Jody clapped her hands.

"Playing in her room," Dean mumbled.

"You guys got her toys?"

"Not exactly," Cass said quietly. Dean whipped his head towards the angel, shaking his head quickly. "Dean gave her a couple beer bottles to pretend they were people."

Jody dropped her jaw and looked at the older Winchester, who held his hands up in defense. "Hey, they're empty!"

"I am so glad you called," Jody groaned to Cass. "This poor kid."

"I'll go get her," Sam smirked, moving to the hallway.

Jody waited until Sam was out of earshot before confronting his brother. "Dean, how's he holding up?"

Dean shrugged. "Fine, actually. Seems to be taking to his paternal instincts pretty well."

"I just can't believe one of you buffoons has a kid," Jody chuckled to herself. "Even after our condom talk."

"Well, to be fair," Dean crossed his arms. "Sam got her pregnant before that discussion."

Jody shook her head. "Still."

Sam cleared his throat from the hallway, where he was standing with Ellie next to him. When Jody turned around, she couldn't help but smile. Cass had mentioned how similar she was to Sam, but it was like looking at one of the few pictures from his childhood that Jody had seen. She realized that the poor girl was wearing one of Sam's old AC/DC shirts, and rolled her eyes briefly.

"Ellie, this is Jody," he squatted down next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Hi sweetie," Jody took a small step forward then leaned on her knees to get down further to her level.

"I'm a really good friend of your…" she looked up to Sam and raised her eyebrows, and Sam responded by mouthing the word 'dad'. "Of your dad's."

"They told me about you," Ellie responded quietly as she looked past Jody to the bags on the map table.

Jody followed her gaze and smiled. "I brought you some presents, do you want to look at them?"

Ellie's eyes brightened and she nodded her head, jumping down the steps to take Jody's outstretched hand. Sam smiled and walked over to Dean and Cass, watching as Jody showed her the many, many toys and clothes she had brought for her.

"Dean look!" Ellie ran over to her uncle, holding up two barbies. "Real dolls!"

Dean shot her a quick grin, then leaned over to whisper to Sam. "I am not playing barbies, mark my words."

"You'll play whatever she asks you," Jody walked in front of Dean, poking him in the chest. "That's what being an uncle is all about."

"You're my uncle?" Ellie turned her head and tilted it, looking at Dean.

Jody's eyes widened and she looked back and forth between Sam and Dean. "Oops."

"Um, yeah," Dean held his arms out in a showmanship fashion. "But you don't have to call me Uncle Dean, you can call me whatever you-"

"Is Cass my uncle too?"

The angel opened his mouth, then bit his lip before answering in his usual gruff voice. "Uh, I don't technically qualify as-"

"Yes," Dean interrupted. "Cass is your uncle."

Cass turned to look at Dean and couldn't help but smile. They had always considered each other family, but to have him tell this young child that he was indeed her relative made him very happy.

"Okay," Ellie turned back to the bags as she pulled out a sun dress. "Jody, can I wear this right now?"

"Sure honey, I'll help you," Jody held out her hand for Ellie to show her to her bedroom. She stopped in the doorway before mumbling back to the boys. "Anything to get you out of that shirt."

Cass walked to the table and began looking through the things, pulling out an item that seemed strange to him.

"What is this?"

Sam turned to look and laughed. Cass was holding up a round hairbrush that Sam recognized from when he lived with Jessica as one to use while blow drying hair. "It's a hairbrush, Cass."

"I've seen a hairbrush before, but this," he held it out from the bottom as if he were afraid of it, "this looks like a torture device."

"Where the hell are we going to put all this?" Dean mumbled, pulling the many bottles of toiletries out of the bags. "Detangler? What the heck is that?"

"I'm assuming it removes the tangles from her hair," Cass replied, holding up a box of hair bows as if they were poisoned.

"I thought that's what the brush was for," Dean whined before pointing one of the bottles in Sam's direction. "You'd better learn what all this crap is for."

Sam pressed his lips together in a tight smile, nodding slightly. He hadn't realized just how way in over his head he was until he looked over the table at the multitude of items that he didn't recognize.

"I'm sure Jody will help," he murmured as he pulled the last item out of a bag. He couldn't help but smile as he lifted the tiny plaid button up.

"Dammit that's cute," Dean whispered, looking at the shirt Sam was holding. He continued with sarcasm dripping from his voice, "You guys could match, don't you have one in that same pattern?"

Sam shrugged, then folded the top and rested it on the pile of clothes. Suddenly he heard the tiny patter of feet running behind him, and he turned around to see Ellie rushing towards him.

"Look Dad, it fits!" she beamed proudly, standing directly in front of him and waving her hips side to side to make the skirt of the dress flare out. It was a simple t-shirt dress, teal blue with purple flowers, but Ellie was in love with it.

"Looks great, Ellie," Sam patted the top of her head. "Can you help us take all of this stuff into your room?"

"You can choose where everything will go," Jody added from the hall doorway.

"Okay," she smiled and of course, grabbed an armful of toys and ventured back to her room.

"You boys start putting the clothes away," Jody ordered. "I'll separate out the stuff that belongs in her room from things that need to be put somewhere else."

Dean groaned at first, until Jody shot him a look to which he fake smiled and grabbed a handful of clothes, gesturing for Cass to do the same. Sam stayed behind, wanting to talk to Jody.

"How ya doing, Sam," she rested a hand on his shoulder.

He gave her a quick smile, then sighed loudly. "I'm scared out of my mind."

She smiled and shook her head. "That's normal. If you weren't terrified, I'd be worried."

Sam pulled out a chair and sat down, looking up at the ceiling. "What if I'm not ready for this?"

"Honey, no one ever is," she chuckled. "Do you think I was ready to raise two teenage girls? Hell no. But I did it any way."

"I just..." he trailed off, leaning forward and looking at the floor. "It's so stupid."

"What?"

"I already feel like I'm so attached to her," Sam whispered. "Which is insane, I just met her yesterday."

"Probably your paternal instinct," Jody shrugged, and Sam waved it off. "Hey, that's a real thing."

"I don't know," he began to swivel back and forth in his chair. "I'm already so worried about something happening to her, and our lives are so crazy, she'll be in danger all the time."

Jody leaned forward and grabbed one of his knees to stop him from swinging, then forced him to look up into her eyes. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know."

"Yes you do, Sam. What do you want to do?" she repeated.

"I want to keep her safe."

"And if that means changing your whole life?"

Sam stared into Jody's eyes as realization hit him. If he wanted to assure that Ellie was safe, he wouldn't be able to go out on hunts whenever he wished. This wasn't a normal situation, where he could set her up with a sitter while he goes off to work. He had promised himself as a teenager that if he ever had children, he wouldn't end up like his own father and leave his children with strangers while he went off hunting.

"What do I do?" he said it so quietly, Jody almost didn't hear him.

"You're the only one who can answer that," she rested a hand on his cheek before giving it a gentle tap. "You'll figure it out."

"I hope so," he sighed, standing. Jody joined and wrapped him in a tight hug, rubbing his back for a few moments. Suddenly she began to laugh whole heartedly, and turned Sam to look at the sight that made her chuckle.

Standing in the doorway of the map room was Dean and Cass, both with multiple bows in their hair. Dean looked like he wanted to murder someone, while Cass seemed amused.

"You guys look beautiful," Sam snorted.


	6. Chapter 6

"Dad, can I have another cookie?"

"You've already had three, Ellie," Sam responded. "Plus you didn't eat any of your broccoli."

"Broccoli's gross," she sighed, then turned to look at Cass. "Uncle Cass, can I have another cookie?"

Jody choked on her beer, trying to cover up her mouth. Sam's mouth dropped open and he held his hands open in disbelief. Dean shook his head with a smile and took a drink of his beer as Cass looked between all three of them with a helpless look in his eyes.

"Ellie, if your dad says no then that doesn't mean you ask someone else," Jody finally found her words after laughing.

"But Uncle Cass always says yes," she smiled, looking at Cass with her wide eyes. The angel cleared his throat and looked at Sam, who shook his head quickly.

"Sorry Sam," Cass murmured before reaching towards the plate next to him and handing Ellie another cookie. "I don't like to see her upset."

Ellie took the cookie with a bright smile on her face. "Thanks."

"Time to clean up," Jody stood up and began collecting plates from the table, then pointed to Cass and Dean, "You two, dishes."

The two of them stood, knowing better than to disagree with Jody. Sam moved to join them, but Jody held up her hand.

"Not you, you're on play duty."

"What?" Sam wrinkled his nose in confusion. Jody gestured with her head to where Ellie had slid from her chair and was playing with her stuffed giraffe. Sam nodded in understanding, then stood and wiped his hands on his pants nervously. "Ellie, you want to go play in your room?"

The little girl stood and nodded, surprised when Sam followed her into the hallway. "Are you coming?"

Sam cleared his throat. "Yeah, I thought we could, um, play together. Unless you don't want to?"

Ellie smiled, then reached back and grabbed a hold of his hand. Sam smiled and let her lead him to her bedroom as Jody secretly watched the exchange.

As Sam and Ellie played with several of her new toys, he kept chuckling as her hair fell in her face. She would always use both hands to try and smooth it behind her ears, but there were several chunks that weren't quite long enough to stay back.

"Ellie, do you want your hair pulled back?" She exhaled dramatically before looking up at him and nodding. He pointed to the pile of things on her dresser, "Go grab the brush that Jody brought you."

Ellie hopped up and went to find the hairbrush, choosing between a few paddle brushes that Jody had given her. Then she picked out a purple hair tie and even found a bow that matched the flowers on her dress.

"Can I have this bow too?" she asked excitedly. Sam smiled and nodded, then motioned for her to spin around and sit on the floor in front of him. She instead plopped down right into his lap.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you," he said quietly as he began to run the brush through her hair. He was grateful for having long hair himself, because although he'd never admit it to Dean, he had rocked a man bun a time or two. He pulled the top part of her hair back, making sure to get those shorter pieces in front, and wrapped her hair into a half ponytail. He leaned back to look at his handiwork and shrugged.

"You want to go look at it?" he pointed to the mirror on the wall. She got up off his lap and ran over, standing on her tip toes to try and see it. When she realized she was too short, she turned and gave him an exasperated sigh. Sam chuckled and slid his hands under her armpits, lifting her high enough to see her hair in the mirror.

He looked at their reflection and couldn't help but smile. Dean had been repeating it ever since Ellie had arrived, but she really did look exactly like Sam. Their hair was the same, their eyes, even their smile. He shifted her body so she was resting on his hip, and she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Sammy?" Dean spoke quietly, not wanting to interrupt the moment.

Sam turned, Ellie still in his arms. "Yeah?"

"Crowley's back."

"I liked Mr. Crowley," Ellie giggled, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. Sam tightened his grip on her waist, quickly shaking his head down at her. She tried pushing against his chest, but to no avail.

"You're staying with me," Sam growled, following Dean into the hallway and pulling her over to his other hip.

As they walked into the library, Jody and Crowley were across the room from another, with Jody shooting daggers with her eyes to the devil. Cass was sitting in a chair in the middle of them, facing towards Crowley.

"Ah, there you are Moose," Crowley smiled, seeing Sam and Dean walking into the room before adding, "And Tiny."

"Hi Mr. Crowley," Ellie giggled, leaning up to whisper into Sam's ear, "He calls me tiny. Just like Uncle Dean calls me squirt."

Sam looked down at her and gave her a fake smile before looking back to Crowley. "What do you want?"

"I have news, and it's probably best that she," he pointed to Ellie, "isn't privy to this conversation."

Sam looked to Jody, who nodded in understanding and immediately got up and walked toward Sam. "Come on Ellie, let's go to your room."

Sam lowered her to the ground and rested his hand on her head, not letting go until she was out of his reach.

"Talk," Dean sat down at the table, throwing a pointed finger at Crowley.

"No foreplay? Fine," Crowley pulled out a chair and sat down. "The demon who killed her mother, Inarus; it turns out he has followers."

"Are you serious?" Sam hissed.

"Yes," Crowley continued. "I have been trying to hunt them down, but they've somehow warded themselves against me."

"They can do that?" Cass asked, leaning forward.

"Apparently," Crowley pursed his lips. "I just wanted to come warn you and the merry men that this group might come after her."

Sam's breathing began to speed up, and he could feel his heart rate accelerating. His fists were at his side, clenching and unclenching when Dean looked over and recognized his brother's anger.

"Sam," he said quietly, forcing his younger brother to look in his eyes. "She'll be okay. We're safe here."

"We'll all keep her safe," Cass added, standing from his chair.

Sam tried to calm down, taking deep breaths. He looked to the group of men standing in front of him and couldn't help but smile. Ellie Winchester definitely had quite the protection; her uncle, a badass hunter, a fake uncle who just happened to be an angel, and the king of hell who for some reason had taken a liking to the little girl.

She would be just fine.

"I should be on my way," Crowley interrupted. "I hate these sappy moments."

"Thanks for the heads up," Dean threw a head nod his direction.

"Any time. Tell Tiny I said goodbye," he replied before venturing to the map room to leave.

"Why does he call her tiny?" Cass tilted his head. "If anything, she should be called medium, she's quite tall given her age."

"Please do not start calling her medium," Dean mumbled with a smile on his face.

"Cass, do we need to update the warding to the bunker?" Sam asked, staying in his protective mindset.

Cass shook his head, "I don't think so, but I'll do a quick sweep and make sure none of the sigils have been tampered with."

"What are we going to tell Ellie?" Dean asked quietly.

"Nothing," Sam responded strongly. "She doesn't need to know that she's in danger, it'll only scare her."

"We should still put some protective stuff in her room, like salt and a devil's trap on the ceiling," Dean took a deep breath before adding, "Maybe we should call Rowena."

Sam sighed deeply, looking up to the ceiling before replying. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Why not?"

"Rowena hates kids."

"She doesn't hate kids, she just hated _her_ kid," Dean shrugged. "I just think she could whip up some hex bags for us."

"Hex bags?" Jody repeated Dean's words as she walked into the library. "What's going on?"

Sam and Dean filled her in on the full story of how Ellie came to be with them, and added the new details of this demon Inarus's following.

"But what would some lowlife demons want with Ellie?" Jody questioned quietly, trying to make sure the little girl couldn't hear from her bedroom.

"Inarus hated me, but I honestly don't know why he would have a group of demons that are following his work now that he's dead," Sam shook his head.

"The 'why' doesn't matter," Dean paced by the table, his arms crossed. "The only thing that matters is keeping Ellie safe."

"Agreed," Jody nodded.

"And to do that, we need to call Rowena."

Sam closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. "Fine."

"Good," Dean pulled his cell phone out and headed to the kitchen, scrolling through his contacts until he found the name he was searching for.

"Hello Dean," the voice on the other end answered sweetly.

"Rowena, we need your help with something," Dean replied.

"What, no 'hello, how have you been dear?'"

"Nope."

"Are you going to tell me why you need my assistance?"

"Nope. How fast can you get here?"

"It just so happens I'm only one city over. I'll be there in about a half an hour."

"Wait, why are you so close—" he stopped as the call ended, then opened the cupboard to grab some food.

"So you think we can trust the witch?" Jody asked as Sam stood and walked the length of the table, running his hand through his hair.

"She's helped us out a lot," Sam sighed. "I trust her."

"Who?"

They turned to where Ellie was standing in the doorway, her head tilted to the side like Sam.

"Is another one of your friends coming to visit?" she walked up to Sam, who shot her a quick smile.

"She's…kind of a friend," Sam patted the top of her head. "Her name is Rowena."

"That's a pretty name," she wrapped an arm around Sam's leg. "I'm hungry."

"You want a snack?" Sam looked down at her, and she nodded. "How about some strawberries?"

Ellie scrunched up her nose in disgust, then turned and looked to where Dean was reentering the library with a bag of Doritos. "I want chips."

"You should eat something healthy," Sam moaned. "Chips aren't healthy."

"But Uncle Dean's eating them," she whined quietly, rubbing her nose against the outside of his thigh.

"Uncle Dean's body hates him," Sam chuckled as Dean looked at him, a mouthful of chips.

"Fine, I'll have some strawberries," Ellie groaned, letting her head fall back and her eyes roll. Jody got up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, guiding her to the kitchen.

"Man, what are we going to do when she's a teenager?" Dean snorted. "Did you see her roll her eyes at you?"

"I'm just trying to get through this week," Sam scoffed. "I can't even think about raising a teenage girl."


	7. Chapter 7

"Hello boys."

Sam and Dean turned around in the map room, looking to the top of the stairs where Cass had let Rowena into the bunker. She smiled down at them, then slowly made her way down the steps.

"Now, what was so important that you couldn't discuss on the phone?" she looked at Dean.

Sam turned to look at his brother, "You didn't tell her?"

"It's the kind of thing you tell in person," Dean shrugged. "You want to be the one to tell her?"

Sam inhaled deeply, looking into Rowena's bright eyes. She tilted her head and looked at him, confused. He tried to think of the words to say, but kept finding himself come up short.

"We need you to help us protect someone," he finally spoke.

"Ah, have you gone and got some wee lass into trouble?" Rowena smiled, shaking her head. "When will you boys learn?"

"Well, the wee lass part is right," Dean mumbled, coughing when Sam bumped his elbow into his ribs.

"So, what are we thinking," Rowena set her bag on the map table. "Hex bags, protection spells?"

"All of it," Sam clenched his fists. "As much protection as you can guarantee her."

"That all sounds fine and dandy," she sighed, pulling items out of her bag. "But what will I be getting out of it?"

"My gratitude," Sam pursed his lips.

"Samuel, you know that I don't take gratuity as payment," she smiled, walking over and patting his cheek with her palm.

"Rowena," he grabbed her hand, pulling it away from his face. "Please."

Her brow furrowed as she looked at him. Sam was truly worried about this girl he wanted her to protect, Rowena could see it in his eyes.

"Where is she?" Rowena whispered, turning her head to look at Dean and Cass. Jody cleared her throat from the top of the library steps, and Rowena turned and looked around Sam's broad shoulders, her breath catching in her throat when she realized who she was here for.

Rowena leaned back and looked at Sam, who was biting his bottom lip. "Is she…"

"Her name is Eleanor," Cass spoke up from behind her, rolling his eyes when Ellie narrowed her eyes at him. "Ellie Winchester."

"Oh Samuel," the witch closed her eyes. She took a deep breath before stepping to the side and smiling sweetly at Ellie. She didn't need to ask which Winchester had sired this child as soon as she looked into her eyes, noticing the beautiful gold around her pupils. "Hello sweetheart."

Sam grabbed Rowena's arm, looking down at her, his eyes full of heated anger. "Can I trust you?"

"Please, I'm not a monster," she whispered, pulling out of Sam's grasp. "I would never harm a child, especially not a child of a Winchester."

"Are you Rowena?" Ellie's tiny voice brought them back to where she was walking down the few steps into the map room.

"Yes, I am," Rowena took a step forward and bent over. "It's nice to meet you, Eleanor."

"You have pretty hair," Ellie smiled, ignoring the fact that she was called by her full name.

Rowena turned her head slightly to look at Sam, "I like her."

"Did you bring me presents too?" Ellie asked.

"Not quite," she straightened, then turned to face Sam. "I presume little one doesn't know why I'm here."

"No," Sam whispered.

"Dad?" Ellie walked to him, looking up at him with concern in her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Sam forced a smile and leaned down to her eye level. "Why don't you go play in your room?"

"No."

Sam's smile disappeared. "What?"

"I want to know what's going on," Ellie frowned, taking a step closer to her father's face. "I'm not a baby, I know something is wrong."

"Ellie, I said no—"

"Tell me," she yelled, crossing her arms. Sam inhaled deeply and slowly stood up, narrowing his eyes at her. He looked around the room, and everyone was holding their breath.

"Can you guys give us a minute?" Sam brought his gaze back to his child, who was still staring up at him with an intense glare.

Jody and Rowena nodded and walked to the hallway, while Cass and Dean were a little slower to follow. Before Dean passed his brother, he stopped and grabbed his shoulder, pulling it down slightly to whisper in his ear.

"Be strong, daddy."

Sam shoved Dean away, rolling his eyes as the older Winchester laughed walking out of the room. He took a deep breath and pulled a chair out from the map table, sitting down and scooting towards where Ellie remained standing, her cute little pout almost making Sam laugh.

"Listen Ellie," he began, clasping his hands in front of him. "I know you're not a baby—"

"But—"

He held up a finger. "Let me finish. You're not a baby, but you're only six years old. I'm not telling you what's going on because I need to protect you."

"I already saw my mommy die," she stated bluntly, wrapping her arms tighter around herself.

"You…you saw it?" Sam let out a long breath. He knew that Ellie was in the house when Amelia was murdered, but Cass had made it sound like she was in her bedroom when it all went down.

"Yeah," she replied meekly, looking down at her feet. "Mom and I were watching my favorite movie, Frozen. The lights all started to turn on and off by themselves, and then there was a man in the room with us."

Sam swallowed, and he reached under Ellie's chin to pull her head up so she could look at him.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me," he whispered, and she stepped forward and climbed onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, and she grabbed a hold of his shirt tightly.

"The man tried to take me from mommy," she continued quietly, and Sam could feel her tears wetting his shirt. "She tried to fight, and she pushed me and yelled at me to go hide in my room. I ran up the stairs and…"

Sam ran a hand along her back as she stopped to try and catch her breath. Her little body was sniffling, and Sam could tell that she was close to full blown sobs.

"I shouldn't have looked back downstairs," she added. "Momma told me to run to my room, but when I looked down, he…"

"Ellie," Sam squeezed her tightly as she began to cry, hard. He tried to keep his own tears at bay, to not let her see him fall apart, as he looked up to the ceiling. Ellie started to cry louder and louder, one hand gripping his shirt while the other wrapped around his waist. Sam began to rock back and forth, whispering soothings into her ear. She started to hyperventilate, and Sam's eyes widened as he realized she needed to calm down quickly.

"Ellie, you gotta breathe," he pulled back slightly and grabbed both sides of her face in his hands. She opened her eyes and sniffled quickly, and his heart broke looking at the pain evident on her face. "Come on, baby, breathe."

She looked straight into his eyes, her own huge as the oxygen deprivation began to consume her. Sam slowed his own breathing, remembering about an article he read telling that children will mimic your vital signs if you remain calm. It took about another half minute, but her breathing finally slowed as she continued to look at Sam.

"You're okay," Sam smiled, pulling her head back against his chest. "Just keep breathing."

He looked up as he heard footsteps, and saw Dean leaning against the doorway. Sam took a deep breath and nodded to his brother, who returned the motion and went back to the kitchen to rejoin the others. As Dean walked into the room, everyone's eyes met his.

Jody stood, a questioning look in her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Is Ellie okay?" Cass chimed in from where he stood in the corner of the room as Dean looked at him. "We all heard her crying."

"Sam is going to give her the talk," Dean whispered.

Jody's eyes got huge. "What? She's _six_."

"I agree with the sheriff, isn't she a bit young?" Rowena interjected.

"I was four when I found out about it."

"Yes, because your mother was kill—" Cass cut off as Dean slowly looked back to him. The angel took a deep breath and nodded, looking down to the floor.

"This whole thing is crazy," Jody sat down at the table, shaking her head.

"Well then. Shall I get to working on Eleanor's bedroom?" Rowena took a deep breath, looking to Cass.

"I'll show you where it is," Cass sighed, holding his arm out for Rowena to enter the hallway.

Dean rubbed his hand on his face and walked to the fridge, pulling out a beer. He turned and held one out to Jody, who shook her head.

"I'll have to get going soon," she murmured. "I have to work tomorrow."

Dean took a long swig of his drink, closing his eyes as he felt the liquid pouring down his throat. He set the bottle on the counter and leaned his arms on it, shaking his head.

"Sam and I always promised we wouldn't end up like our dad," he muttered quietly.

"Hey, you guys don't have a choice," Jody spoke up, getting out of her chair to join Dean at the counter. "She needs to be able to protect herself."

"So what, we're supposed to get her her own demon blade?" Dean chuckled sarcastically. "I never had a childhood because of this crap."

"Well," Jody clapped a hand onto his back. "You boys can make sure that she doesn't end up like you did."

"Oh yeah, and how are we supposed to do that?" Dean scoffed, holding his hands out. "You know better than anyone that once you find out about the monsters of the world, there's no going back."

"Just," she sighed and shook her head. "Make sure she still gets the normal kid stuff. Birthdays, playing with toys, Christmas."

Dean dropped his head, taking a deep breath. "I guess."

"You boys can do this," Jody pulled him into a hug, patting his back. "I know you can."


	8. Chapter 8

"Well this is simply adorable," Rowena walked into Ellie's room, taking in the piles of different toys and the open closet full of multicolored clothing.

"Jody went a little overboard," Cass mumbled from the doorway.

"On the contrary, if I had known about her I'd have brought something for her as well from Auntie Rowena," the witch walked over and picked up a small stuffed bear from the dresser.

"I don't think Sam would like that."

Rowena spun around on her heels, "Excuse me?"

Cass lifted an eyebrow. "I think you and I both know that you would bring her some sort of magic talisman or spell book."

"I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about," Rowena turned back around with a smile on her face. "The girl needs to be able to protect herself, how bad would it be for her to know a few simple spells?"

"Just do the protection work, Rowena," Cass groaned, looking down the hall to see Dean heading his direction.

"Jody just left," Dean sighed, peeking his head around the corner as Rowena pulled several small books from her bag and laid them out on Ellie's bed. "How's this going?"

"Fine," Cass replied, "She wants to teach Ellie some spells."

"Well that's not happening," Dean scoffed.

"Would it be such a bad idea?" Cass looked at Dean out of the corner of his eye.

Dean turned and gave Cass an incredulous look. "Are you serious? Yeah, let's just raise her to be a witch, because being a hunter isn't bad enough."

"Dean, that's not what I—"

"I know," Dean ran his hand through his hair. "I'm going to go see how Sam's doing, keep an eye on her."

Cass nodded and watched as Dean went down the hallway towards the map room. The angel couldn't help but feel like this was all his fault; he had brought Ellie here, in an attempt to keep her safe, and now her whole life was turning upside down and she was never going to get to go back to being a normal child.

Dean slowed his pace as he reached the map room, listening for Sam's voice before he entered. He knew that he needed space to do this on his own, but he couldn't help his older brother mentality that caused him to check up on his little brother.

"So Uncle Cass is an angel?"

"Yes."

"And Mr. Crowley is a demon?"

"Yes."

"…but he's a nice demon?"

"…yes."

"What about Jody?"

"She's human."

"And the lady with the pretty hair?"

Dean used this moment to hop into the room. "How's it going in here?"

Ellie was sitting on the map table, her legs crossed as she sat directly in front of Sam. He was sitting in his chair and leaning forward, his face in his hands. Dean could tell that Ellie must have been asking tons of questions by the look on Sam's face. Sam sat up when he saw Dean and sighed, smiling.

"Uncle Dean, are you a human?"

Sam snorted and shook his head. "Ellie, it's probably best that you don't ask that to everyone you meet."

"Yes, squirt. I'm human," Dean stepped forward and leaned on the table. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess," she shrugged. "I'm a little scared, but I know that Dad will keep me safe."

"We all will," Dean reached over and poked her in the nose, making her giggle. "Now, you want to go help me figure out dinner?"

"Sure," she reached her arms out and Sam helped her off the table.

"Go look in the fridge, I'll be there in a minute," Dean smiled at her and she skipped off towards the kitchen. He turned back to Sam, his hands in his pants pockets. "How'd it go?"

"Fine," Sam lifted his shoulders, "I didn't go into too much detail. Just the main gist."

"Probably for the best," Dean muttered. "Man, this sucks."

Sam shook his head, "I know. I can't believe I'm turning into dad, giving my six year old the monster talk."

"Hey," Dean pointed a sharp finger to his brother, "You are nothing like dad."

"I am, though," Sam swung his arms to his side. "I'm going to raise a hunter, just like I always said I wouldn't."

"You didn't have a choice, Sammy," Dean stepped forward. "What was our other option? Keep her in the dark about everything, and then when a monster attacks her she has no idea what to do? We can't just keep her in the bunker until she's old enough to fight."

"I know," Sam whispered, tightening his jaw. "Still."

"Listen man," Dean stood directly in front of his brother. "Let's just focus on what's happening right now. Rowena is working her magic on the kid's room, and Cass reinforced the bunker's warding."

Sam nodded, then started walking towards the kitchen. "Let's go, she's probably making a mess of the kitchen."

As Sam and Dean walked into the kitchen, they both burst out laughing. Ellie had somehow climbed onto the counter, and gotten in the cupboard, then gone back to the floor where she was currently sprinkling salt all over the floor.

"Ellie, what are you doing?" Sam asked.

"I wanted to make sure no ghosts could come in here while we're cooking," Ellie smiled proudly, dumping the last of the table salt on the floor. "You said ghosts don't like salt, right?"

Dean leaned over, holding his stomach as he continued laughing. Sam closed his eyes and shook his head, a wide smile on his face.

"Yes, Ellie, you're right."

"Did I do good?" she walked up and looked back and forth between the two men, her eyes shining brightly.

"Sure did, squirt," Dean ruffled her hair before walking towards the fridge, the salt crunching beneath his boots. "What are we making for dinner?"

Sam left them in the kitchen and ventured to Ellie's room, to see how Rowena was coming along with the protection work. He came around the corner and saw Rowena leaving the room, her bag draped over her shoulder.

"Are you done already?" he asked as Rowena walked toward him.

"Aye," she nodded. "Not a single demon will be able to cross that threshold, not even Fergus."

"Good," Sam rocked his head forward. "Are you leaving?"

Rowena turned her head and lifted a shoulder. "Am I not allowed to spend some time with the little one?"

"She wants to teach her spells, Sam," Cass tattled, walking up behind her.

"Ha," Sam fake laughed, "Not happening."

"Fine," Rowena grunted, "She needs some personal protection as well, however, and I'm assuming you boys are not going to make a child get a tattoo."

Sam's hand reached up to his chest where his anti-possession tattoo was, and looked down at the floor. "I have an old charm from before we got our tattoos, I can put it on a necklace."

Rowena smiled, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small box. "I just so happen to have an old iron chain."

Sam narrowed his eyes as she held out the box. "No spell work on it, right?"

"I keep telling you, Samuel," she shook her head. "I would never harm a child."

Sam accepted the box and stuffed it into his pants pocket. "Crowley says otherwise."

"Oh, Fergus was always exaggerating," she rolled her eyes before turning to leave down the hallway. "Just remember that you owe me one, Samuel."

Sam watched as she turned the corner of the hallway, moving to stand next to Cass. "Come on, Dean and Ellie are making dinner."

When they walked into the kitchen, Sam chuckled as he watched Dean try to help her stir the spaghetti noodles. She was kneeling on a chair next to where he stood, wobbling as she tried to stay away from the heat of the stove.

"Careful," Dean muttered, wrapping his free arm around her tiny waist.

"How do you know when they're done?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Like this," Dean used the spoon to pull up a group of noodles, then used one of his fingers to pick up one single noodle. Ellie watched intently as he waited for the noodle to cool, then turned and whipped it towards the wall. It hit with a quiet thump, then fell to the ground. "Nope, not done yet."

Ellie burst out laughing, almost falling off the chair. Dean smiled and held her tightly, making sure she stayed up.

"Really Dean?" Sam groaned, shaking his head with a smile.

"What?" he turned his head with a smirk, "you always loved that trick."

Sam rolled his eyes before leaving the room, content with leaving Ellie with Dean and Cass. He ventured to his room, reaching under his bed for the old shoebox he kept there. He took a deep breath before pulling off the lid, looking through the many mementos he had kept throughout the years. Towards the bottom of the box, he finally found the small pouch that he was searching for. He pulled it out and carefully pulled the zipper, tilting it upside down and letting the small charm fall into his hand. He smiled fondly as he ran his fingers over it, remembering when Bobby had given he and Dean these charms.

He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the box from Rowena, pleased when he realized the charm fit onto the small iron chain perfectly. He held it up and smiled before he heard someone's voice behind him.

"What's that?"

He turned and smiled as Ellie walked into his room, her eyes mesmerized by the necklace in his hands. He gestured for her to come closer, and she smiled and ran to him.

"This is for you," Sam reached around her neck, carefully clasping the chain. "It's to keep you safe."

Ellie looked down at her chest and pulled the charm out, her fingers running over it. She then looked up at Sam and smiled brightly before jumping forward into his arms.

"Thank you!"

Sam wrapped his arms around her, holding one hand against her head. "You're welcome."

Ellie pushes away from him and looked down at the necklace again, then turned to run out of the room. "I'm going to go show Uncle Dean!"

Sam chuckled as she ran off excitedly, carefully putting the shoebox back under his bed before following her out to the kitchen.

"Isn't it so pretty?"

Dean turned as he heard Sam enter the room, giving him a nod of approval as he realized what Ellie was wearing around her neck. He then bent over to look at Ellie's necklace better. "Yeah, it's really nice."

"Daddy gave it to me," Ellie turned and beamed proudly looking at Sam before running to Cass. "Did you see it Uncle Cass?"

"Yes, it's beautiful," Cass smiled down at her.

"Alright, come and get it," Dean clapped his hands together, looking over the meal he had prepared.

"Did you check to see if the noodles are done?" Ellie asked, looking up at Dean. He met her gaze, then looked over to where Sam was emphatically shaking his head from side to side. He smirked at his brother, then reached into the pot and blew on the noodle before handing it to Ellie and pointing to the wall.

"Go for it."


	9. Chapter 9

"Dad?"

Sam looked over the top of his laptop that was resting on his legs, smiling when he saw Ellie standing in his doorway. "What's up, Ellie?"

She bit her bottom lip and looked down to the bottom of her pajama top, playing with the hem. "I can't sleep."

Sam closed his computer and set it on his bedside table. "How come?"

She shrugged, walking to the bed and climbing up on it. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Ellie—"

"Please?"

There was that puppy dog look again. She had scooted up to between his knees, and was looking up at him with her eyes as big as she could possibly make them. Her bottom lip pouted slightly, and she even whined under her breath a little.

Sam exhaled deeply, then rolled his eyes and reached over, pulling his blankets down. Ellie smiled widely and jumped on top of him before she crawled under the covers. He tucked her in before getting up to turn off the lights, then laid down himself.

Ellie curled up on her side and snuggled into Sam, and he could feel her cold nose rubbing into his ribs through his shirt.

"Night Dad."

"Good night baby," Sam leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her head. He could feel her smile into him, and couldn't help but smile himself as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

When he awoke, he was pleasantly surprised to find no feet in his face this time, although half of Ellie's body was draped on him. Her hand was resting on his chest, with his shirt scrunched in her tiny fist. Her head was on his shoulder, and there was a small puddle of drool under her mouth that made Sam wince.

He tried to carefully pull her limbs off of him, but her eyes snapped open as soon as he attempted to pry his shirt out of her hand.

"Morning," he rolled out from under her, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Time to get up."

"No," she whined, curling into a ball and pulling the blankets over her head.

Sam chuckled and reached over, pulling all of the blankets off of her. She yelled out, sitting up suddenly with an angry pout on her face.

"You're mean," she crossed her arms and then tried to grab the blankets from him, to no avail.

"I'm a dad, that's my job," he chuckled at himself, surprised with the words coming out of his mouth.

"Seriously?" Dean's voice came through the doorway. "Dad jokes already?"

"Shut up," Sam waved him off as Ellie continued pouting on the bed. "Go get dressed, Ellie."

"Fine," she rolled her eyes and got up, walking toward her bedroom.

Dean raised an eyebrow at his brother as he walked to the doorway. "You going somewhere?"

Sam looked down the hall and waited until Ellie was in her room, then turned back to Dean. "I want to take her to the store to get her some snacks that she'll actually eat."

"Really?" Dean looked surprised.

"I hate it, but like you said," he sighed, "we can't keep her locked in here forever. Plus, it's so early there will hopefully not be as many people in the store."

"You want me to go with?" Dean nudged his elbow.

Sam shook his head, "No, we'll be fine."

Dean shrugged, then turned and walked down the hall towards the kitchen. "Call if you need me."

Sam rolled his eyes at his overprotective big brother, then turned to yell, "Ellie, come to my room when you're ready."

"Okay!"

He closed his door and got dressed into a blue and white plaid shirt with jeans, pulling his boots on as he heard a small knock at his door. "Come in."

Ellie opened the door and walked in, then started giggling before Sam looked up. He was about to ask what was so funny when he turned his gaze to meet hers and realized she had chosen her own plaid shirt that matched his. He had completely forgotten that the shirt he had put on was exactly the same pattern as hers.

"We're matchers," she squealed, holding her arms out to show him that she was even wearing the same color jeans as him.

Sam shook his head with a smile before he stepped forward and ruffled the top of her head. "We're going to go to the store."

"Really?" she looked up at him, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Yup," he responded. "We need to get you some food."

"Can we get fruit snacks?" Her eyes brightened.

"Sure," he pushed her shoulder to get her to move down the hall to her room so he could do her hair. "Keep thinking of things you want."

She sat on her bed as he gently brushed her hair, pulling it into two low ponytails. She reached up and felt it, and then turned and looked up at Sam.

"You should do your hair like this too," she giggled, "It's long enough."

Sam laughed, "I don't think so."

After talking to Cass about getting her booster seat moved from his truck to the impala, Sam led her into the garage with Dean following close behind.

"No eating, no drinking," Dean listed off his rules for Ellie riding in the impala.

"It's just a car," Ellie mumbled, making Dean stop in his tracks and gasp.

He turned and pointed to Sam. "If she wasn't your kid, we'd be having words right now."

Sam scoffed at his brother and helped Ellie get into her seat in the back. He stood up and held his hands out for Dean to give him the keys, but the older man stood there with his arms crossed.

"Please take care of her."

"You know, you'd think you were talking about your niece, but I know better," Sam reached over and yanked the keys out of Dean's hand. "We'll be back soon."

"Hopefully you won't come back from this food run to another kid," Dean muttered quietly so only Sam could hear him.

Sam got into the impala and arranged the rear view mirror so he could see Ellie. "You have your necklace on, right?"

She held out the pendant so he could see, then tucked it back under her shirt. Sam nodded and started the car, pulling around Dean to get out of the garage.

When they arrived at the grocery store, Ellie was so excited to be out of the bunker she hurriedly unbuckled and tried to open the car door. Sam chuckled as he slowly got out and let her out, forever grateful that Dean had made the rear doors unable to opened from the inside. Ellie jumped out and moved to run into the store, but Sam grabbed the back of her collar before she could.

"Listen," he squatted in front of her, waiting until her enthusiastic gaze met his, "While we're in here, you need to stay by me."

"I know," she whined, wiggling her shoulders to try and get out of his grasp.

"Ellie, I'm serious," he lowered his tone, then reached down and wrapped his hand around hers. "Don't let go of my hand."

"Okay," she muttered, slowing her pace to match her father's as they walked into the store. Sam pulled a cart from the trolley and looked down at Ellie, trying to decide how to push the cart and hold her hand at the same time.

"Maybe you should sit in the cart."

"Uh-uh, that's for babies," Ellie scrunched up her nose.

Sam inhaled deeply, then reached down and picked her up to drop her into the large part of the cart. She crossed her legs and pouted for a moment. Sam smiled as he turned down an empty aisle and decided to have a little fun for once, making car noises and twisting and turning the cart. Ellie flopped side to side as he turned, squealing with laughter. As Sam came to the end of the aisle, an elderly woman came around the corner and jumped as he almost ran into her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he pressed his lips together in an apologetic smile.

"Don't you worry about it," the woman grinned, her face wrinkling up even more than it already was. "I love to see fathers having fun with their children."

"Hi," Ellie spoke up, moving to her knees in the cart.

"Hello dear," the woman smiled down at her. "What's your name?"

"El-"

"Christo."

Ellie turned to look at Sam as he said that strange word, then looked back to the old woman who tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Christo? What an unusual name," she chuckled. "Nowadays, names are so unique."

"Thank you," Sam smiled quickly and pushed the cart to the next aisle.

"Why'd you lie, Dad?" Ellie turned and leaned on the back of the cart.

"Sit down," he kept his gaze on the shelves, refusing to look down at her.

"What does Christo mean?" she moved to stand in the cart, effectively stopping Sam from pushing the cart any further in case she fell.

"Sit down," he warned again, this time turning to look her straight in the eyes.

"No," she crossed her arms.

Sam looked up and down the aisle, not wanting to make a scene. There was a young couple at the end of the shelves, looking with intrigued looks towards the defiant six year old in his cart. Sam bit the insides of his cheek and slowly looked back to where Ellie was standing with her eyes raised.

He leaned forward and rested his arms on the cart, his face coming within inches of her nose before he whispered, "Eleanor Winchester. Sit. Down."

She narrowed her eyes at him for a few seconds before sighing dramatically and slowly falling to her bottom in the cart. Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath before standing up and continuing in the store.

When they reached the check out, Ellie helped Sam to place their items on the belt until she caught a glimpse of the shelf full of candy bars next to it.

"Dad I want chocolate," she leaned forward, trying to grab a candy bar. Sam grabbed the bottom of her plaid shirt and pulled her backwards.

"You don't need candy," he mumbled as he pulled out his wallet.

"Please?"

He should've known better than to look back at her. Although he had been getting way better at doing this whole 'dad' thing, and not giving in to her every whim, those eyes still killed him every time. She had sat back in the cart, getting as low as she can so that when she looked up at him with those hazel orbs, they looked as sad and pathetic as possible. He groaned, then leaned over the cart and grabbed a Hershey's bar, placing it on the belt. Ellie instantly smiled, and leaned up and placed a quick peck on his cheek.

"Alright," he rolled his eyes as he paid for their food.

"She's adorable," the cashier handed him his receipt.

"Thanks," Sam muttered, putting the bags into the cart around Ellie's legs.

"You look just like your daddy," the cashier continued, smiling sweetly.

Sam replied with a quick smile, then pushed the cart out of the store. He lifted Ellie out of the cart and put her in her booster seat before he began putting the bags next to her in the backseat.

When they arrived back at the bunker, Ellie jumped out of the car and ran in ahead of Sam. He rolled his eyes as he grabbed all of the bags in one go, not wanting to make a second trip. As he walked through the hallway towards the library, he heard Ellie talking.

"Dad wouldn't tell me."

"Well, if he didn't want you to know then I'm not going to tell you either."

Sam walked into the library and looked to where Ellie was sitting in a chair next to Dean. "What's going on?"

"She's asking what 'christo' means, and why you told some lady that that was her name," Dean raised an eyebrow at his brother.

Sam took a deep breath, moving his eyes to glare at the back of Ellie's head. "Ellie. I just couldn't tell you in front of a bunch of strangers."

"Fine, then you can tell me now, right?" she moved to her feet on the chair, trying to be as tall as her father but failing.

"Sit down, Ellie," Sam stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders, lifting her from the chair before he plopped her down on her bottom, not wanting a repeat of the store. Dean watched the interaction and chuckled, enjoying the assertiveness that his little brother had apparently found in himself while they had gone to the store.

"Christo is a word that we use," Sam began, sitting on the edge of the table next to Ellie's chair. "We say it when we think someone might be a demon."

Ellie's eyes fell. "You think that old lady was a demon?"

"No, I just," he paused, sighing, "You can't tell if someone is a demon right away, and I wanted to make sure."

"So was she a demon?" Ellie asked, biting her lip nervously as her eyes drifted to where she was pulling at her shirt.

"No," Sam responded. "She didn't flinch, which means she wasn't a demon."

Ellie sniffed, then jumped off of the chair. "Okay."

"Are you okay?" Sam leaned down, placing a gentle hand on her cheek. She continued looking down, and nodded quickly. Sam squatted in front of her, and used his finger under her chin to force her to look in his eyes. "Are you scared?"

"I am now," she whispered as a single tear fell from her eye. "I didn't know demons go to the grocery store."


	10. Chapter 10

"You want to what?"

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes, continuing his work on his computer. "You heard me."

"I know, but why?" Dean moaned. "She's six."

"And she needs to be in school."

"She can already read," Dean threw his hands out. "I couldn't read until I was like ten."

"Exactly my point," Sam looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "It's just an online school, Dean."

"Won't that make her easier to find?"

"I'm using a different last name, Dean," Sam sighed. "I'm not stupid."

"Jury's out," Dean mumbled, moving out of Sam's reach when his brother tried to punch him in the arm. "What name are you using?"

"Eleanor Page."

Dean scoffed, "You did always like that name best."

Sam rolled his eyes and stood up, grabbing his laptop, and walked towards Ellie's room with Dean trailing behind him.

"This will be interesting," Dean scoffed, making Sam stop and turn around. "What? She's stubborn like you, she's not going to do homework willingly."

"We'll see," Sam narrowed his eyes, shaking his head and turning back to head towards Ellie's bedroom.

"What if I don't want to do school?" Ellie whined as Sam placed the laptop in front of her on the desk in her room.

"Too bad," he whispered, leaning over her and clicking through the tutorial. "You were going to kindergarten before…"

"Before my mom died," she supplied quietly before continuing, "I don't like school."

"School is important," Sam squatted next to her chair.

"Hunters don't use math," she turned and glared up at him. Dean snorted from the doorway, covering his mouth when Sam shot him a look.

Sam snorted, then shook his head. "Listen, you're going to do it, whether you want to or not."

"I do not want to do it," Ellie slapped her hands against her thighs. Sam moaned, and looked over to where Dean was walking towards them.

"Come on, squirt," Dean turned her chair toward him, holding his hands on the arms of the chair and leaning down to her. "Do your schoolwork, and I'll get you a bowl of ice cream."

"Dean," Sam groaned, giving his brother an angry look. "Don't bribe her."

"Why not?"

"It's not good."

"Says who?"

"Everyone."

"You've gotta quit reading those parenting books, man," Dean rolled his eyes before turning back to Ellie, "El, you good with our deal?"

"Okay," she sighed, and scooted her chair back to the desk before clicking through the online schooling.

Dean looked at Sam and smirked, raised his eyebrows before he slid his hands into his pants pockets and rocked back on his heels proudly. Sam scoffed and stood up, ruffling Ellie's hair before shoving past his brother.

"You're putting her to bed after all that sugar," Sam mumbled as Ellie ate the giant bowl of ice cream Dean had made her. He had put sprinkles, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream on top, and she was loving every bit of it.

"Whatever, she'll be fine," Dean took a drink of his beer. "I just can't believe Cass had never had sprinkles before."

The angel was sitting across the table from Ellie, scarfing down his ice cream just as intensely as she was. When Dean was making her dish, Cass had asked what the small pieces of colors were, and because they were almost pure sugar, he was able to taste more than just the molecules that made them up.

Sam chuckled, watching his daughter and Cass devour their treat. He reached into his pocket and took a side step before snapping a picture with his phone, able to capture the moment when they were both shoveling massive spoonfuls into their mouths.

"This is very enjoyable," Cass mumbled through a mouthful of ice cream, reaching for a napkin to wipe his face.

"Ice cream is awesome," Ellie giggled, wiping her sleeve on her face as she swallowed the last bite.

"Alright squirt, time to get cleaned up," Dean walked over and reached under Ellie's arms, picking her up with a slightly disgusted look on his face as ice cream continued to drip from her face. He held her out and carried her to the sink, helping rinse off her face and hands. Once he was done, he let her down and patted the top of her head. "Say good night."

Cass stood up from where he'd just finished his ice cream and moved to put his dish into the sink when Ellie wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Good night Uncle Cass," she snuggled her nose into his hip bone. He looked up to Sam and Dean, and then slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave a quick squeeze.

"Good night Ellie," he responded quietly as she pulled away and smiled up at him.

"Let's go," Dean gestured with his head to the doorway. "Uncle Dean's putting you to bed tonight."

"Okay," she shrugged, then ran to Sam and held her arms up. He reached down and scooped her up, giving her a tight hug and nuzzling his nose into her neck, making her giggle. "Daddy stop, your beard tickles."

"Night El," Sam released her onto the floor.

"Good night," she hurried over to Dean and grabbed his hand as they headed down the hall.

Sam stayed in the kitchen with Cass, drinking a beer and waiting for the inevitable yell from Dean that he needed help with putting a six year old hyped up on sugar to bed. Sure enough, about fifteen minutes after they had said good night Dean came walking into the kitchen, his hair sticking up in different directions and his shirt disheveled.

"Your kid is a maniac."

"No way," Sam held his hand up. "You did this, get back in there."

Dean shook his head, "I'm tapping Cass in."

"What?" the angel's eyes widened in the same manner they had the day in the strip club with Dean. The fear he was demonstrating made Sam and Dean both chuckle.

"Dean, you can't make Cass do it," Sam muttered before taking another sip of his beer.

"Sure I can," Dean walked over and clapped the angel on his shoulder. "Your turn, buddy."

Cass turned and looked at Sam, begging in his eyes. The younger Winchester just shrugged, and Cass finally sighed loudly and stood from the table.

"Fine, I'll try," he huffed before walking to the hallway. Sam and Dean looked to each other before bursting out laughing at the thought of the poor angel putting a crazy Ellie to sleep.

"This will be interesting," Dean took a deep breath, smiling at the ceiling. He grabbed a beer off the table and opened it, taking a long drink. He and Sam both nursed their beers silently for a few minutes before Cass reentered the room.

Sam stood up, stretching before looking to the angel, "Still awake, huh?"

"What? Oh, no. She's asleep."

Dean was taken aback, tilting his head to the side. "What? How?"

"Please tell me you didn't use your mojo on her," Sam sighed.

Cass scrunched his brow, "Of course not."

"Then how the hell did you get her to go to bed?"

"Does it really matter?" Cass chuckled with that fake smile he often used, shrugging his shoulders as he joined Dean at the table.

"Um, yes," Dean leaned forward on the table with his elbows.

Cass took a deep breath, looking back and forth between the brothers. "I…I sang to her."

Dean spit out the sip of beer he had just drank, some even shooting out of his nose as he laughed. Sam scoffed with a smile, shaking his head.

"You, you sang to her?" Dean finally calmed down enough to speak, still snorting with laughter intermittently.

"Yes, why is that so strange to you?" Cass tilted his head to the side.

"No reason," Dean bit his lips to stop from giggling.

"She likes Enochian," Cass mumbled, pursing his lips. "When her and I first drove here, it was the only way I could get her to calm down when she got upset."

"Really?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

Cass nodded, "Most humans find it soothing. I've spoken Enochian to you before when you had nightmares, Dean."

The older Winchester cleared his throat abruptly, tilting his head with an angry expression towards Cass. "Don't need to go telling people that, Cass."

"Why not?" Cass asked. "It's when I watch over you when you sleep—"

"Cass, you gotta stop, man," Dean interrupted.

"I think it's sweet," Sam walked up and rested a hand on Cass's shoulder before turning to leave the room. He stopped in the doorway, tilting his head back. "But next time Ellie says she can't sleep, I'm telling her to go find Uncle Cass."


	11. Chapter 11

"I don't like it," Sam shook his head, looking back to where Ellie was coloring at the library table.

"Listen man, I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't need you to," Dean ran a hand through his hair. "Crowley has a lead on the demons that are hunting Ellie, and I can't take Cass because they've somehow warded themselves against other demons and angels."

"I can't leave her, Dean," Sam inhaled deeply.

"Cass will be here the entire time," Dean whispered. "He got her here, he can protect her for a day and a half while we're gone."

"Can't we call Jody?" Sam moaned, "The more people here to protect her, the better."

Dean sighed, then pulled out his cell phone and went into the hallway. Sam walked to the table and leaned on it, smiling down at Ellie.

"You're leaving," she stated, keeping her eyes on her coloring book.

"You heard," Sam mumbled quietly.

"Yeah," she continued drawing, "But I'll be here with Uncle Cass?"

Sam nodded, taking a deep breath. "Uncle Dean is calling Jody to see if she can come stay with you too."

"We'll be okay," she looked up as Cass walked into the library. "Uncle Cass is an angel, so he'll protect me."

Dean walked back into the room, hanging up his phone. "Well, Jody can't come, something about a vamp nest she's helping Donna finish up."

"Oh," Sam narrowed his lips.

"But," Dean held up a finger, "Claire and Alex are on their way."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "So Ellie will have an angel, a hunter, and a nurse babysitting her?"

"Sounds like an A-team to me," Dean shrugged. "Come on, if we hit the road now we'll be there by midnight."

"But—"

"The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back," Dean interrupted his brother. Sam bit his lip before walking around the table to Ellie.

She finally looked up from her coloring and met his eyes, a small smile on her face. "Are you gonna bring me back a present?"

"Sure," he chuckled, leaning down and pulling her up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling her nose into his neck.

"Be good."

Ellie giggled as he rubbed his chin on her cheek, purposely making her laugh before he left. "I love you."

Sam froze as she spoke those three little words, her tiny voice making its way directly into his ears and down to his heart. He pulled her as close to him as he could, closing his eyes as he breathed in her scent.

"I love you too, Ellie," he whispered, then carefully let her back down into her chair. He looked over to Cass and pointed a finger, "Take care of her."

"Of course," Cass nodded.

Sam turned back to Dean and shrugged, "Alright. Let's go."

About an hour later, Cass and Ellie were just about to make lunch when they heard knocking on the door to the bunker. Cass made Ellie stay in the library as he carefully went up and looked through the peephole, satisfied when he saw Claire and Alex standing outside. He opened the door a slight amount, holding out a silver coin and a flask full of holy water.

"Seriously?" Alex moaned as Claire took the items from Cass and proved their human forms.

Once Cass received the items back and knew for certain the girls weren't monsters, he opened the door the rest of the way and let them walk in.

"Wow, this is…nice," Claire took in the atmosphere as they walked down the steps into the map room.

"Where is she?" Alex rested her hands on her thighs and turned back to Cass. Ellie came around the corner of the library, holding her stuffed giraffe tightly to her chest.

"Hi Ellie," Claire bent over and waved. "I'm Claire, this is Alex."

"Hi sweetie," Alex smiled.

"Is Jody your mom?" Ellie asked quietly as she walked over to where Cass had moved to the doorway, leaning against his leg.

"Uh," Claire stood up and looked over to Alex, who shrugged. "Kind of."

"Will you guys play Barbies with me?" she tilted her head and turned it down, attempting the puppy dog look on the girls. "Uncle Dean and Uncle Cass don't play right."

"Sure we will," Alex responded, walking forward and nudging Claire in the ribs. "Won't we, Claire?"

"Yup," Claire groaned. "Why don't you show Alex where your room is. I want to talk to, uh…Uncle Cass."

"Okay," Ellie walked to Alex and grabbed her hand before walking to the hallway.

Claire watched as they left, then shook her head and turned to Cass. "So, this is super weird."

"What is?"

"You three raising a kid," she scoffed. "Poor girl."

"We're doing our best, Claire," Cass narrowed his eyes at her. "She's doing fine."

Claire rolled her eyes. "I saw the anti-possession necklace she's currently rocking, Castiel."

"It's for her protection," Cass murmured, "Did Jody explain her…her situation to you?"

"The demon thing? Yeah," Claire nodded. "Still, she's a little kid."

"It's a less than ideal situation," Cass sighed deeply. "I have to go make her lunch, are you hungry?"

"No, we already ate," Claire bit her lips, crossing her arms. "I guess I'll go play Barbies while you play daddy homemaker."

Cass rolled his eyes as he went to the kitchen, cursing Dean for calling the girls to come help him already. He assembled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with some cut up cucumbers, then went to her room to inform her that her food was ready.

As he walked up to her door, he listened to the three girls playing dolls and chuckled softly when he heard Claire being involved. He had always felt bad about Claire being robbed of her childhood, and this made him happy to see her letting down her guard a little.

He rounded the corner and watched as Claire laid on her stomach on Ellie's bed, holding one of the dolls up on the table.

"Help me, I'm stuck up here," she tapped the barbie's feet on the table, talking in a much higher pitched voice than normal. When she saw Cass standing in the doorway, she immediately dropped the doll and rolled onto her back.

"Ellie, it's lunch time," Cass spoke down to her.

"Okay," she stood up and ran to the door.

Alex and Claire stood up and joined them as they ventured to the kitchen. Ellie jumped on the chair and started scarfing down her food as the girls and Cass watched from the across the room.

"Are we sure she's not Dean's?" Claire chuckled, leaning against the counter.

"It's kind of creepy how much she looks like Sam," Alex mumbled. "Those eyes."

"Yes, they're quite unsettling," Cass responded, "I find myself unable to tell her 'no' when she looks me in the eye."

"Yeah, those puppy dog eyes'll get you every time."

Once Ellie was done eating, the four of them went to the library for her to use Sam's laptop to do school stuff. Ellie of course complained mildly about it, but Alex promised she would help her if she needed it so she obliged.

"Uncle Cass, can't you just use your magic angel powers to do my school work?" Ellie looked up at him with the beginning of a puppy dog look.

Cass recognized this and immediately looked elsewhere, "No, Ellie. You need to do it yourself."

Claire watched as Cass looked anywhere else in the room but Ellie and snorted. "Man, _Uncle Cass_, she sure has you wrapped around her finger."

His gaze snapped to Claire and he tilted his head. "I'm aware."

"Be nice, Claire," Alex leaned over and gently shoved her faux sister.

As the day went on, Cass was grateful to have the girls there, between them playing with her and giving her a bath, it meant that he was able to relax a little bit for the first time since she had come to the bunker. Even when it came to bedtime, they were both able to get her to go to sleep relatively quickly.

"Here's the room you two can sleep in," Cass opened a door to reveal a large room with two double beds for the girls. "If you need anything, I'll be down the hall."

"You don't sleep," Claire raised an eyebrow, "What do you do all night?"

He shrugged, "Usually watch something on Netflix."

"Really?" Alex asked as she laid on one of the beds, resting her hands under her head, "Are you a Friends or The Office type of guy?"

"I have enjoyed both of those shows, yes," he responded, shifting on his feet.

"Aw, he's just a Rachel looking for his Ross," Claire smiled sarcastically, putting her hands under her face in an ironic gesture.

"I prefer Monica and Chandler's relationship," he smiled fondly before looking up to see Claire and Alex staring at him with huge smiles on their faces. "I mean, I…never mind. I'll see you both in the morning."

"Good night Monica," Claire gave him a small salute before closing the door.

A/N: I know that these last few chapters have been kind of short, but they'll be progressively longer after the next one.

Thank you to everyone who is following, and I appreciate any reviews! :)

-Rosie


	12. Chapter 12

"You good?"

Sam sighed, still leaning against the wall after stabbing the last demon with an angel blade. He looked over to his brother, who was wiping blood off his lip. "Yeah. Is that all of them?"

"All but one," Crowley came around the corner, wiping his blade against his pant leg.

"One got away?" Dean groaned, rotating his bad shoulder in an attempt to pop it back in to place.

Crowley looked around the room, counting the dead bodies with his fingers. "We have six dead demons, there were seven to begin with, so unless my math skills have been drastically depleted..."

"So we have one more demon to find," Sam inhaled deeply, walking out of the abandoned warehouse with his brother. Crowley stayed behind to clean up the mess, stating he was going to use the many bodies to scare any possible followers of Inarus down in Hell.

"Sounds like it," Dean mumbled as he threw their bags into the trunk of the impala. He slammed the lid down and walked to the front door, "We can handle this, we've tracked down a single demon plenty of times."

Sam sighed and slid into his seat and closed the door, then leaned his head against the window. "Yeah."

"Hey," Dean clapped his hand on the front of Sam's shoulder. "We did good. Now we can get back home."

"I'm going to call Cass," Sam pulled out his phone.

"Dude, you just called him."

"That was before we went in there," he jerked his thumb back to the warehouse as the call was connected.

"Hello Sam."

"Hey Cass, how's it going?"

"The same as it was going forty seven minutes ago."

Sam rolled his eyes, "We're just leaving, so we'll be there by five or six."

"Did you…take care of the situation?" Cass asked, obviously not wanting to talk about demons in front of Ellie.

"Mostly," Sam sighed, "One got away."

"Okay. We'll see you in a few hours then," Cass turned around and saw Ellie standing directly behind him with an excited smile on her face.

"Is Dad on his way home?"

"Yes," Cass smiled down at her, then looked up at Claire and Alex, "If you want to head home, I think I can handle it until they get home."

"You sure?" Alex raised an eyebrow as Claire moved to the hallway to get their bags from the guest room.

"Of course," Cass responded, "Don't you have to work tonight?"

"Yeah, but I could call in," Alex shrugged. Cass tilted his head and gave her a disapproving look, his brow furrowed. "Fine, don't give me the dad look."

Ellie gave Claire and Alex both long hugs at the top of the bunker stairs, a sad look on her face as Cass closed the door behind them. He turned back to her and narrowed his lips at her.

"What's wrong, Ellie?"

She sighed, looking down at her feet, "I'm just going to miss Claire and Alex."

"Well, I'm sure they'll come visit again," Cass followed her down the steps.

"How long until Dad and Uncle Dean get home?"

Cass looked at the clock on the wall of the library, "A couple hours."

"Can we go to a park or something?" she sat on a chair and swiveled it so she could look up at the angel.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Cass shook his head before looking down at the little girl. He didn't realize that she was doing 'the look' until it was too late, he was already sucked in. "Ellie, it could be dangerous."

"But you're an angel," she whimpered, moving to her feet and grabbed the bottom of his trench coat to give it a gentle tug. "You can make sure I'm safe. Please?"

"Ellie…" he trailed off, still unable to stop looking into those big eyes of hers. She sniffed, and he moaned. "Fine."

"Really?" she jumped up and down.

"Let's go," he reached into his jacket pocket, making sure he had his truck keys. They went back up the bunker stairs, and just before they walked out, Cass turned back to her, "You have your necklace on, right?"

Ellie pulled it out from under her shirt, showing him the charm. "Yup."

"You have to stay right by me," he warned as he opened the bunker door. She nodded, and reached up and grabbed his hand. When they got out to his truck, Cass cursed inwardly as he realized that her booster seat was with Sam and Dean in the impala. He turned and looked down at her, trying to figure out what to do.

"I don't have your car seat, Ellie," he said quietly, hating the look of disappointment that came upon her face.

"Can't we just walk?" she whined, looking up at him with tears forming in her eyes. Cass sighed, remembering that there was, indeed a park just down the road from what Sam had mentioned after one of his many jogs. He looked up to the sky, wishing he still had his wings more than ever.

"No, we'll have to wait until your father gets back with your seat."

"But Dad won't let me go to the park," she sniffed, a tear falling down her cheek. "He doesn't want me to ever go outside."

"Ellie, I wish it was different—"

"You're mean," she shouted before running past him back into the bunker.

"Ellie," he called after her, chasing her for a moment before stopping outside the door and leaning against the wall. He closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head before he went back into the bunker and closed the door behind him.

When Sam and Dean arrived home, they were expecting Ellie to be waiting for them in the library excited, but Cass was the only one in the room.

"Where's Ellie?" Sam tilted his head.

Cass pursed his lips, his eyes saddening, "She's upset with me."

"Dude, what'd you do?" Dean crossed his arms.

"She wanted to go to the park," Cass began, "But you had her booster seat, so I told her she'd have to wai—"

"You were going to take her to the park?" Sam interrupted, his voice getting louder with each word. "By yourself?"

Cass nodded, "Yes, I was going to be careful."

"I don't care how careful you think you were going to be," Sam shouted, "You didn't even ask me."

"Sam," Dean interjected, holding up his hand on his brother's chest.

Sam shoved the hand off of him, taking another step towards the angel, "Cass, you could've gotten her killed."

"Do you seriously think I wouldn't be able to protect her?" Cass tilted his head, now with an angry look playing on his face.

"That's not what I meant," Sam rolled his eyes, "But she's _my_ child, you need to ask me before you do anything stupid like take her to a public park."

"I told you," Ellie cried from where she had snuck to the doorway of the map room, her eyes and nose red from crying.

"What?" Sam turned to her, hating how much it was affecting him to see her this upset.

"I knew you wouldn't let me go to the park," she yelled, "You're too afraid to let me go anywhere without you."

"Ellie," Sam took a step forward, pointing his finger at her, "I'm keeping you safe."

She walked quickly towards him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't care."

Dean and Cass slowly snuck out the other door of the library, recognizing the need for this conversation to happen between Sam and Ellie alone.

"I just want to be able to play outside like a normal girl," she sniffed, wiping her tears with the back of her sleeve. "It's not fair."

"I know," Sam quieted his voice, bending over in front of her and opening his arms. "Come here."

She stayed in her spot for a moment, then slowly walked up to him and allowed him to pick her up and rest her on his hip. She rested her head on his shoulder, still sniffling.

"Did you and Uncle Dean kill the bad guys?" she whispered.

Sam pulled away and looked down at her, confused. "How did you.."

"I heard Uncle Cass talking to Claire," she shrugged.

Sam closed his eyes and sighed, "Don't worry about the bad guys, El."

"But after you kill the bad guys, then I can go outside more right?" she turned her head on his shoulder to look up at his face.

"Ellie," he looked at her, "I just need to figure out better ways to keep you safe outside."

She reached down and pulled out her necklace, "I thought this would help."

He smiled, "It does."

Looking down at his daughter, he realized that he couldn't continue to freak out every time she left the bunker. There were always going to be dangers out in the real world, whether they be from monster-type things or not. They could end up getting injured in a car accident, for Chuck's sake. The poor little girl in his arms deserved better, and didn't need to be terrified every time she left the bunker.

"Daddy, I'm sorry," she interrupted his thoughts.

"For what, baby?"

"For crying," she wiped her nose on her sleeve, then rested her head back on his shoulder.

"You don't have to be sorry for crying, Ellie," Sam rubbed her back. "Everyone cries sometimes."

"Okay," she bit her lip and began to play with the collar of his shirt.

"I'm sorry too," he muttered, moving to sit in a chair. She moved to his lap so she was straddling his waist, looking at his face with a confused gaze. "I've just been so scared that something will happen to you, but I've been making you miserable."

"What does miserable mean?"

"It means sad," he chuckled. He often forgot that she was only six years old, although she acted much older many times. "I can't promise that I'll let you go out wherever you want, but I'll try to chill out."

"Okay," she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing tightly. "Thanks Dad."

Sam pulled her as close as he could, smelling the scent of her hair as he hugged her. They remained like that for a while, just cuddling on the chair in the library before Dean and Cass reentered.

"Who's ready for a movie night?" Dean walked in with a tray full of bags of popcorn.

"Cool," Ellie jumped off of Sam's lap and ran over to her uncle, "What movie are we watching?"

"You pick," Dean smiled down at her. "Whatever movie you want."

She turned her head back to look at Sam, then back to Dean with a mischievous smile on her face.

"I want to watch Frozen."

Cass hid his laughter with a cough as Dean's smile fell. "You sure, squirt?"

"Yup," she reached up and grabbed a bag of popcorn, then headed down the hell to the TV room.

Sam walked up to where his brother was looking at him with an annoyed look, resting his hand on his shoulder, "You told her to pick, man."

"Are you really surprised," Cass added as he moved to follow them down the hall.

"No, but still," Dean murmured, "I'm going to have that song stuck in my head for a week."

Sam smirked, "Dean, you gotta just let it go."


	13. Chapter 13

"A cook-out?"

Sam looked at his brother incredulously, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes," Dean replied, reaching in the fridge for the ingredients. "It's a beautiful day outside, and the kid needs to get some fresh air."

"I don't like it," Sam crossed his arms. "What if a demon—"

"You, me, Cass," Dean put all of the burger items on a tray on the counter, "We'll all be there to keep her safe."

Sam sighed and furrowed his brow. "Still."

"Come on," Dean stepped forward, slapping a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Besides, we'll be right outside the bunker, I bet some of the warding works out there too."

"I guess," Sam nodded, then turned to the hallway as Dean grabbed the tray full of food. "I'll go get Ellie."

"I already did," Cass spoke up as he walked into the other doorway of the kitchen with Ellie next to him.

"Are we really going to play outside?" she ran up to Sam excitedly. He nodded and rubbed the top of her head. "Is it safe?"

Sam cleared his throat, looked over at Dean before leaning over to speak to Ellie. "We will all be there to keep you safe."

"Okay," she responded, giving him a mega watt smile before she turned back to Cass. "I'm going to go put my shoes and jacket on."

"Wait, I have something for you to wear," Dean set down the tray and grabbed her hand, guiding her to his bedroom. Sam and Cass headed outside and waited for Ellie and Dean, setting up the lawn chairs they had grabbed from the garage for everyone to sit in. When Dean walked outside, he smiled widely as Ellie came running out, a tiny Dallas Cowboys jersey on.

"Where in the hell did you get that?" Sam scoffed as Ellie ran to show Cass her new shirt.

Dean shrugged, "I had to run to the store last night, and I couldn't resist."

"Still, you know I'm a Texans fan."

"Yeah, even more reason for her to represent the _better _team," Dean smirked, then clapped his hands together, "Now, let's play some football."

They all played a quick game before eating, with Ellie choosing to be on Dean's team. Every play, he would hand her the ball and shove Cass and Sam out of the way so she could run to the two rocks they had used to mark the end zone. A few times he even carried her over his shoulder, knowing that Sam and Cass wouldn't dare tackle him while he was holding her. Ellie even had her own touchdown dance, which involved whipping her head side to side and holding up 'rock on' hands.

Eventually they all got tired, and Cass went in and grabbed the items to cook the burgers. Dean had set up an old grill he had found somewhere in the bunker, and Cass was adamant that he be the one to cook the meal. Dean had argued at first, but gave in to the angel on the basis that he really seemed to want to impress the Winchesters lately.

Ellie was running in the field picking dandelions while Sam helped Cass get the grill lit, and he turned and reminded her to stay where he could see her. After assembling a small bouquet of the yellow weeds, Ellie jumped onto Sam's lap and smiled sweetly, laying her head on his chest. Sam rubbed her back mindlessly, watching as Cass attempted to flip the burgers on the grill. The angel was having a heck of a time, and he kept growling every time one of the patties began to fall apart.

Dean went inside to fetch some more alcohol, grabbing a few beers. He walked outside, already opening one and taking a drink. He chuckled as he saw Cass struggling with the burgers, and felt like he should intervene, but he knew the angel wanted to do it himself. Dean took a long swig of his beer as he looked over at Ellie, who was sitting in Sam's arms and staring up at his face with an unusual look on her face. Dean narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. There was one thing that caught his eye the moment he laid eyes on her.

Or rather, one thing that wasn't there.

"Sam, that's not Ellie," Dean shouted, reaching for his back and pulling out his gun.

Sam's eyes widened as he jumped out of the lawn chair, pulling Ellie up with him. He looked at Dean and turned so Ellie was out of his brother's eyeshot.

"Dean, what the hell?" he shouted, wrapping both arms around his daughter.

"Her amulet, it's gone," Dean yelled, stepping closer. Cass had abandoned the burgers and was slowly walking towards Dean, his angel blade falling into his hand.

Sam whipped his head to look at Ellie, who was smiling sickly before she blinked and her eyes went black. Sam gasped as she pushed away from him, falling to her feet on the ground.

"Oh, Sammy boy," the demon looked up at the man, tilting the head of the little girl he was possessing. "I've been waiting so long, ever since I saw you in the grocery store."

Sam's face twisted as he tried to think back, confused as to what he was talking about. He continued to stare down at Ellie's body, unable to move. His jaw was dropped, and his chest was heaving as he tried desperately to suck in a breath.

"Oh, your daughter looks so much like you," the demon imitated the cashier from the store, then smiled sickly. "I knew you'd eventually bring her outside, so I just waited in the place closest to your little house here."

"Get out of her," Dean hissed, moving to stand next to his brother as he kept his gun pointed to the demon.

The demon shook Ellie's head. "You and I both know you won't pull that trigger."

Sam turned to his brother and watched the internal struggle as Dean lowered his weapon, tears forming in his eyes.

"Now then, I think little Miss Winchester and I will be going," the demon turned around, tilting Ellie's head to the side to stretch her neck.

"No," Sam yelled, taking a step forward. He drew a shaky breath and swallowed loudly before speaking again, his voice taking a begging tone. "Take me, please. Kill me, whatever you want. Just leave her alone."

The demon stopped and laughed before turning back to the men. "You don't get it. Inarus didn't want you to die. He wanted you to _want_ to die. He wanted to take away the one thing that you finally let yourself care about."

"Why?" Sam choked out, unashamed of the tears flowing freely down his face.

"Because we're demons, Sam," the demon flashed black eyes, covering Ellie's beautiful hazel ones before he threw a hand up, pushing all three men back to the outside wall of the bunker. "We want you to hurt like you've made us all hurt over the years. Exorcisms are not fun, Sam."

Sam, Dean, and Cass watched helplessly as the demon strutted back and forth in front of them, pulling at Ellie's jersey. All three of them had tears falling, watching as the little girl they'd spent the last week with was subjected to a demon's possessing.

"Originally, the plan was just to kill her in front of you," the demon chuckled, "But I think it might be more fun if I just take her away. Then you would never really know if she was alive or not. It would haunt you for the rest of your life."

Sam closed his eyes, unable to continue watching as the demon took over his daughter. "Please."

"Oh Sammy," the demon walked up to him, pulling his body down to the floor so he could reach. "I never took you for the begging type."

Suddenly, Ellie's mouth opened as black smoke poured from it. Her head thrown back, her body began to convulse as the demon was violently exorcised. The smoke then shot to the ground, where a burn mark formed as the demon was killed. Sam, Dean and Cass were released from the wall, falling to their knees. Sam rushed forward, crawling towards Ellie's now limp body so fast he didn't even realize that Crowley and Rowena were behind her.

Sam scooped Ellie into his arms, grabbing her face roughly as he begged her to take a breath. It only took about five seconds for her to come to, but to Sam it felt like five hours. She began to cough harshly, her tiny body writhing in apparent pain.

"You're okay, baby," Sam kept repeating, holding her head against his chest as he rocked their bodies forward and back.

Dean looked to Cass, then to where Crowley and Rowena were slowly walking towards Sam and Ellie.

"What just happened?" Dean finally found his feet, then reached over to help Cass get up.

"Forced exorcism," Rowena smiled, "A spell of my own invention."

"I heard from a source that one of Inarus's followers had been stalking the bunker before our little mass murder we performed," Crowley stayed back, his hands in his jacket pockets as he looked down at the burn mark on the ground. "The one that got away it seems. It looks like we arrived just in time."

"Let's get her inside," Cass stepped forward and put a hand on Sam's shoulder, who roughly shook it off.

Sam stood and kept Ellie in his arms, squeezing a little too tightly as he walked quickly to the bunker door. Cass looked to Dean, a questioning look in his eyes.

"He's freaked out," Dean explained, patting the angel on his back. "Don't be offended."

"I think it's time for me to head out, now that I know Tiny is alright," Crowley raised a hand, giving Dean a quick wave before disappearing.

"He'd better be working on getting his demons in line," Dean growled as he and Cass walked into the bunker, holding the door open for Rowena. "You coming?"

"I doubt he wants many people around her right now," Rowena waved her hand smiling as she turned to leave.

"Rowena," Dean yelled gruffly, causing her to freeze in her step. "Thank you."

She didn't respond, only nodded as she walked up the hill towards her vehicle. Dean watched her leave and sighed, grateful that she and Crowley had shown up when they did. He turned back to the door, where Cass was waiting.

Dean and Cass walked into the library and both froze, seeing Sam walking back and forth by the table, holding Ellie tightly to his chest. She seemed to be fine, her eyes opened wide as she seemed more frightened by Sam's reaction than the incident outside.

"Sammy," Dean stepped forward, "Why don't you let her down?"

"No."

"Sam—"

"No," he whipped around, almost elbowing Dean in the face in the process. "I'm not letting her go."

"Sam, she's okay," Cass said quietly, moving to stand next to Dean.

Ellie began to try and gently push away from Sam, which only made him tighten his grip. Dean saw tears forming in her eyes, and he reached out and tried to rub her back.

"Don't," Sam hissed, pulling her away from Dean's reach.

"Sammy, you're scaring her," Dean whispered, stepping forward again. Sam exhaled sharply, then loosened his hold enough for her to pull her head back. He saw the tears in her eyes and swallowed, allowing Dean to pull her from his arms. Dean handed Ellie to Cass, and she immediately snuggled her face into the crook of the angel's neck.

"I'll take her to her room," Cass mumbled, rubbing her back as he carried her to the hallway.

Dean stayed with his brother, whose breathing was increasing rapidly. Sam felt like his heart was going to explode out of his chest, it was beating so fast. Tears continued to stream down his face, and he didn't even try to wipe them away. Dean allowed him space at first, but once Sam looked him in the eyes, he reached out and punched his brother in the face. Dean slowly turned his head back, seeing the anger in Sam's eyes.

"I told you," Sam hissed, choking out a sob. "I knew this would happen."

Dean immediately reached out and pulled Sam down to a strong hug. They squeezed each other as tight as they could, allowing both of their emotions to flow freely. Once Sam's breathing had slowed, Dean pulled back and grabbed his face with both hands, forcing his brother to look at him.

"She's okay," he whispered, willing him to repeat it.

"I know," Sam was finally able to speak, sniffing loudly. "I know."

"Her necklace must have fallen off when we were playing football," Dean released Sam's face, one hand moving to his shoulder. Sam nodded, running a hand down his cheeks. "It's probably outside in the field."

Sam cleared his throat and fell down into a chair. "I'm never letting her out of my sight again."

"Sam—"

"No, Dean. I can't lose her," he sniffed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "I can't."

"I know," Dean whispered. "But this is part of being a parent, man."

"What part of this," he gestured wildly to the door, "is a normal part of being a father?"

"Being scared," Dean yelled a little too loudly, "Trust me, I remember what it felt like."

Sam looked up at his brother and sighed, remembering the pain that Dean had felt the moment that he knew Ben was taken by Crowley. "I know."

"She could fall and hit her head in her bedroom, Sam," Dean shoved his arms out to the side. "You never know what could happen, but that doesn't mean you live your life by worrying about everything little thing."

Sam nodded, a few more tears falling from his eyes as he reached up to wipe them away. "I don't know if I can handle this."

"Yes you can," Dean bent over and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You're a great dad already. You just need to realize that you can't be in control of her all the time, because it's going to make her teenage years way more difficult if you don't."

Sam chuckled, shaking his head as he imagined her as a rambunctious teenager like he and Dean were. "I don't even want to imagine that."

"Me either," Dean scoffed, standing back up straight. "I vote we ship her off to Jody's between ages thirteen and sixteen."

Sam chuckled, knowing his brother was kidding. He leaned back in the chair and pulled his hands up to his face, "This sucks."

"Again," Dean smirked, "Welcome to parenthood."

Ellie didn't have to ask Sam to sleep in his bed that night. When it was time for bed, Sam carried her past her doorway and into his own, slipping her under the covers. He got in and laid on his side, his large body curled around her small one with one arm under her head and the other holding her waist. She snuggled into his chest, and he kissed the top of her head just before she succumbed to sleep.

"Love you baby," he whispered before allowing his eyes to finally close. It took a lot of focused breathing and relaxation techniques, but he was finally able to fall asleep knowing that she was safe next to him.


	14. Chapter 14

When Sam awoke the following morning, he was still wrapped around Ellie's small body. They had both apparently barely moved throughout the night, more than likely the effects of the previous day's incident. He gave her a gentle squeeze, and then rolled away from her and sat on the edge of his bed. She murmured quietly in her sleep, wiggling a little before falling back into her slumber. Sam stood up and stretched, tilting his head side to side. He exhaled deeply and looked back to make sure Ellie was still asleep as he moved to the hallway.

Sam walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. He usually didn't drink caffeine on a daily basis, but after yesterday he felt that he required a pick-me-up. He grabbed one of the mugs from the counter and poured the dark drink, inhaling the delicious scent.

"Morning," Dean mumbled as he shuffled in, grateful that his brother had already started the coffee.

"Morning," Sam repeated back to him, walking over and sitting on a chair at the table.

"Where's the kid?" Dean looked around the room.

"Still asleep," Sam muttered. "I think she's still recuperating from yesterday."

"Speaking of that," Dean walked over and sat across from his brother. "How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"Liar."

"She's out of my sight, isn't she?" Sam looked up from his coffee, giving his brother a daring look. Dean stared into Sam's eyes for a moment, then shook his head slightly and went back to nursing his cup. Cass walked into the kitchen and did the same look that Dean had done, searching for Ellie.

"She's still in bed," Dean supplied.

Cass nodded and joined the brothers at the table, looking at Sam out of the corner of his eye. The angel watched as Sam finished his coffee, then began bouncing his leg on the floor.

"Sam, I'm sor-"

"Don't," Sam held up a hand, closing his eyes.

"If I hadn't asked you to help me with the grill—"

"Cass," Dean interrupted. Sam started shaking his head, still holding up a hand to try and silence the angel.

"It was not your fault," Sam spoke quietly, opening his eyes and looking directly into those bright blue eyes across the table from him. "Do you hear me? It was not. Your. Fault."

Cass pursed his lips and tilted his head, his face turning into a frown. Dean reached over and patted him on the shoulder, trying to ease the angel's worries.

"Listen man, you've done a lot for the kid," Dean turned towards Cass. "You were the one who saved her in the first place."

"I know, but…" he trailed off, looking down at his hands on the table as he messed with his thumbs.

"But nothing," Sam replied. "You're her uncle, and she loves you."

Cass couldn't help but smile at that, and he even softly chuckled. Dean slapped his shoulder one last time before getting up to get another cup of coffee.

Ellie came scuffling through the doorway, her hair mussed and her pajamas in disarray. One pant leg was rolled up, and her shirt was riding up so her tiny belly stuck out slightly. She didn't speak, only walked up to Sam and put her arms up for him to pick her up. He chuckled and pulled her onto his lap, rubbing her back as she curled up into his abdomen.

"Morning," he rubbed the top of her head, then leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her hair. Ellie mumbled a reply, snuggling her face further into his chest.

"You hungry?" Dean walked over and poked her back. She shook her head and whined, twitching when he poked her in the side.

"Come on, El, you need to eat," Sam whispered as she finally sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Do you want a banana?"

"Nah, she wants Cocoa Puffs," Dean spoke up from where he was pouring two bowls of the chocolatey cereal. "Right squirt?"

Ellie nodded slowly, then slid off of Sam's lap into the chair next to him. Sam rolled his eyes at his daughter's preference for sugary foods instead of healthy alternatives, but shrugged it off.

"Here you go," Dean placed the bowl of cereal in front of her and dropped a spoon into it.

"Thank you," she mumbled before grabbing the spoon and taking a large bite.

"So what's the plan for today?" Dean's speech was garbled as he spoke with a mouth full of cereal, milk dribbling down his chin. He was trying to avoid the elephant in the room, as no one wanted to talk to Ellie about the incident the previous day.

"What do you want to do today, Ellie?" Cass spoke quietly, leaning forward on the table towards her.

"Nothing," she muttered, swallowing her bite of food before pushing the bowl away from her. "I'm full."

"Can you try a couple more bites?" Sam rubbed her back, and she shook his hand off before falling off the chair onto her feet.

"No," her meek voice surprised Sam as she walked to the hallway, attempting to squeeze past where Dean was standing in the doorway.

"Hey," he held his hand up, effectively stopping her from leaving the room, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," she whined, trying to push his leg out of her way. He remained in his spot, and she eventually just rested her forehead on his thigh and moaned. Dean looked up to where Sam had gotten out of his chair, giving him a concerning look.

"Ellie," Sam walked over to where Ellie had wrapped her arms around Dean's leg. "Ellie, look at me."

She didn't respond, only further stuffing her nose into Dean's pajama pants. Sam tried to gently pull her arm away, but she just tightened her grip.

"Look at Daddy, baby," Sam begged, squatting next to her. She sniffed and finally pulled away, turning and looking into Sam's hazel eyes with her matching ones that were filled with tears.

"I don't feel good," she choked out before her breathes turned into full blown sobs and she lunges into Sam's chest. He almost fell backwards from her sudden weight, but was able to steady himself and lift them both off the ground. As he stood, she sat up in his arms with her eyes widened, and threw her hand over her mouth. Sam tilted his head to the side and, just before he realized what was happening, she vomited all over his chest. He froze as she emptied her stomach, then started crying again.

"Shit," Dean ran over to the sink and grabbed a towel, coming back to wipe her face as Sam closed his eyes and willed himself not to throw up. Dean quickly grabbed Ellie from his brother, remembering that Sam had always been a sympathy vomiter.

"Cass, help Sam get cleaned up," he turned to the angel who had suddenly turned very pale.

"I don't...I don't think I can," Cass burped, then held his fist over his mouth.

Dean groaned, looking back and forth between the child he was holding out in front of him and his brother who was looking more and more green by the second.

"Fine, take Ellie to the bathroom and put her in the tub," Dean decided that since Ellie was less soiled than Sam, the angel should be able to handle at least getting her to the bathroom until Dean finished with Sam.

Cass nodded and took Ellie, holding her out in front of him under her arms and running to the bathroom as carefully as he could. Dean turned back to his little brother, and was immediately taken to the days of their childhood whenever Sam was sick and he had to take care of him.

"Come on, Sammy," Dean used the towel to wipe up most of the vomit off of his shirt, then quickly unbottoned it and threw it to the corner of the room. Luckily Sam had a tank top underneath, so most of the liquid was soaked into that rather than his skin.

Dean walked behind Sam and pushed him into the hallway. "Go get in the shower. I'll take care of Ellie."

"Are you sure?" Sam spoke with a quiet voice that cracked slightly as he talked.

"Yes, now go," Dean shoved him down the hall before turning and heading for Ellie's room. He realized quickly that they needed to do her laundry, and she didn't have any clean comfy clothes. Dean looked around and saw the AC/DC shirt that she had worn her first night hanging on the back of her door and grabbed it. He then walked towards the big bathroom where he'd hoped Cass had taken Ellie. It had the biggest tub, and was the bathroom where they stored all of the many toiletries and soaps that Jody had bought for her. He walked in the doorway and saw Cass trying to peel Ellie's shirt off, his face turned to the side as he kept randomly retching.

"Cass, I got this," Dean sighed and walked forward, then helped Ellie by pulling her shirt over her head the rest of the way. The angel mumbled a thank you and all but ran out of the room.

Once Dean got her cleaned up, he carefully toweled her off and helped her into the baggy t-shirt. He didn't have to wash her hair, but he figured out how to do a simple ponytail.

"Where's my daddy?" she whimpered as he carried her down the hall towards her room.

"He was in the shower," Dean replied, rubbing her back as he stopped outside his brother's bedroom. She felt very warm to him, but he didn't think they had a thermometer in the bunker anywhere. He used his foot to kick at the door, "Sam, you in there?"

Sam swung the door open with a concerned look on his face as he made eye contact with his daughter.

"She's burning up, man," Dean handed her over to him, becoming more and more worried by the lethargic manner she was displaying.

"Where's Cass?" Sam moved to his bed and sat down so she could curl up easier, and she began to shiver.

Dean popped his head in the hall just in time to see the angel headed their way. "Cass, can you use your mojo and figure out what's wrong with her?"

Cass nodded and came around the corner, he too looking frightened by Ellie's appearance. He walked forward and held two fingers out, looking to Sam for silent permission before applying gentle pressure to Ellie's forehead. The angel closed his eyes and furrowed his brow for a brief moment before releasing from her.

"I can't...something's wrong."

Sam's eyes widened as he looked down at his increasingly limp daughter. "What are you talking about?"

"She...I can't heal her," Cass frowned, turning to look at Dean, "I think it's from yesterday."

"Let's take her to the hospital," Sam stood up slowly as not to jar Ellie's tiny body.

"Hold up, what are we going to tell them?" Dean held a hand up in front of his brother's chest. "That she was possessed yesterday?"

"I don't care," Sam bellowed, moving around Dean. "You heard Cass, something is wrong."

"Exactly, something is wrong that an angel can't fix," Dean hissed. "What do you think the doctors are going to do?"

"Then what do you suggest?" Cass sighed, holding his hands out.

Dean tightened his jaw and looked to the floor, his eyes darting back and forth in thought. "Let's call Crowley."

"Are you serious?" Sam shouted initially, then cursed himself as Ellie whined in his arms. He shushed her and began rocking his body to soothe her.

"Maybe he knows what the hell this is," Dean gestured to Ellie as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the familiar 666 number.

"King of hell speaking."

"We need to talk," Dean growled.

"I am not your pet that can just be summoned at your every whi—"

"It's Ellie."

Suddenly Crowley appeared behind him, hanging up his phone. Dean whipped around and walked towards him, a finger pointed in his face.

"She's sick, and Cass can't heal her," Dean began his explanation, "Does this have something to do with yesterday?"

Crowley moved to where Sam was still rocking Ellie, and tilted his head before gently prying one of her eyes open. He sighed loudly, then put his hands in his pockets.

"Has she thrown up?"

"Yes," Cass grunted. "Quite violently."

Crowley nodded, pursing his lips. "It's an after shock."

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean shouted, throwing his hands to the side.

"When a child is possessed, their bodies can't handle it as well as an adult," Crowley spoke quietly as he stared at Ellie's limp figure. "She'll be okay, it usually only lasts 24 hours."

"So she basically has the demon flu?" Dean scoffed.

"That is one way of putting it, yes," Crowley shrugged. "Just let her rest, and don't let her eat anything. Her body will try to expel anything put into it like it did the demon."

"Wait, what if she gets dehydrated?" Sam said quietly.

Crowley shook his head, "As soon as the twenty four hours is up, make her drink as much water as she can."

"I'm not so sure about this," Sam moved back to the bed and sat down, carefully brushing the hair out of Ellie's face. "We can't just not let her eat or drink for twenty four hours."

"Calm down, Moose," Crowley rolled his eyes and looked at his watch, "By my count it's already been sixteen hours. She'll more than likely be sleepy the last eight."

Sam looked down at her as she began to stir, her eyes opening slightly and looking around the room.

"Mr. Crowley," she managed a weak smile, her eyelids heavy as she blinked.

"Hi Tiny," the demon gave a dainty wave, smiling down at her. He turned to look at Dean and Cass, and then winked before disappearing.

"So I guess we just have to let her rest," Cass shrugged, watching as Ellie's eyes drifted shut.

"Guess so," Sam sighed. He stood up and moved to the head of his bed, gently laying her down. He rubbed the top of her head for a brief moment before taking a deep breath and joining Dean and Cass in the hallway.

"Well this sucks," Dean whispered, running his hand through his hair.

"I know," Sam stayed in the doorway, keeping an eye on Ellie.

"One of us should stay with her," Cass spoke up, "I can take the first shift."

"No, I'll do it," Sam interjected, holding his hand up.

"Dude, you haven't even eaten yet," Dean crossed his arms. "Let Cass sit with her for a bit."

Sam tightened his jaw as he looked at his daughter curled up on his bed, then let out a long breath. "Okay. But come get me if anything changes."

"Of course," Cass nodded, then walked into the room and sat on the foot of the bed, making sure not to jostle the bed too much.

"She'll be fine," Dean clapped a hand on Sam's shoulder, pushing him towards the kitchen.

Sam took one last look into his bedroom before turning and walking in the hallway, "I hope so."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I know this is a super short chapter, but I figured I owed you guys some fluff after a little bit of angst. Please review! **

Sam quickly ate a bagel and was about to hurry back to his bedroom to check on Ellie when Dean stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Why don't you go relax," he crossed his arms and stood in the doorway of the kitchen, "Go read a book or something."

"What? No," Sam tried to move around his brother as Dean continued standing in the way. "Dean, move."

"You have to take a break sometimes," Dean said sternly. "You're going to get burned out with all _this _going on."

Sam sighed and gritted his teeth, recognizing Dean's usual stubbornness in his eyes. He knew that he was not going to win this battle.

"Fine," Sam exhaled through his nose, then turned and walked out of the other door towards the library. When he got there he skimmed the shelves before landing a finger on one of his favorites. He picked it up and walked to the table, lounging in a chair with his feet resting on another one as he delved into the story.

He estimated he had been reading for about forty minutes when Cass came into the room, his head whipping around as he tried to locate the younger Winchester. When his gaze landed on Sam, he rushed over.

"Sam, come quick," he said breathlessly, sounding like he had just been running.

Sam jumped out of his chair and hurried over to the angel, "Why? What's wrong? Is it Ellie?"

Cass immediately realized he was worrying his friend, and quickly shook his head. "No, nothing is wrong, I just wanted to show you something."

Sam tilted his head in confusion before following Cass down the hall. He expected to stop at his bedroom, and was surprised when they continued down the hallway to Ellie's. As they neared her doorway, Cass lifted his finger to his lips to tell his friend to be quiet. Sam raised an eyebrow and walked slowly into her room, a smile immediately coming upon his face when he realized why Cass had brought him.

Dean was laying on Ellie's bed on his back, his head resting on her pillow with his ankles crossed. Ellie was on her stomach on top of him, her mouth open slightly as she drooled on his chest. Both of Dean's hands were resting on her back, his hands clasped even in his sleep.

Sam hurriedly brought out his cell phone and snapped a picture, hoping neither of them would wake. He forgot to turn the sound off of his phone, so the click when the photo was taken caused one of Dean's eyes to pop open. He picked up his head and quickly surveyed the situation, then looked over to Sam.

"Shut up," Dean mouthed, rolling his hips to try and slide out from under the sleeping child. Ellie whimpered and grabbed his shirt in her hands, snuggling her face into his chest as she slowly awoke.

Sam walked over to her bed as Dean sat up and gently pushed her off of him. She whined briefly, then sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Ellie exhaled deeply and looked around the room, giving a small smile when she laid eyes on her father. "Hi Daddy."

"Hey baby," Sam sat on her bed, opening his arms for her to climb into his lap. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," she sighed, straddling his legs and playing with the buttons on his shirt. "I'm just really tired."

"You should start to feel better soon, Ellie," Cass spoke up from the doorway.

"Is this," she paused, biting the inside of her lips, "is it because of last night?"

Sam inhaled slowly, reaching out to rub his hands along her arms. Ellie looked up to meet his eyes, and when he tilted his read she realized her answer and nodded her head.

By the end of the twenty four hours, Ellie had almost completely reverted back to her old self, jumping around the bunker from her newfound energy after resting for so long. Sam was currently sitting at the library table, watching her try to tickle Cass.

"Ellie I'm sorry, but angels are not ticklish," Cass chuckled as she lifted his arm and wiggled her fingers in his armpit.

"Everyone's got a ticklish spot," Ellie giggled as she continued her mission. When Cass remained still, not flinching at all, she crossed her arms and grunted. "Fine. Let's play a game."

"What do you want to play?" Cass sighed.

Ellie grinned mischievously, "Hide and seek!"

"I don't think that's a good idea, squirt," Dean spoke up from where he was entering the room with a beer.

"Why not?" she whined, running over and looking up at him.

"This place is way too big," he shrugged, bending over and pushing on her forehead. "You could get lost."

"What if we only stay in certain rooms?" she slapped his hand away, glaring up at him. "Please?"

"Nope," Dean smiled and walked around her, raising his eyebrows at Sam. "Unless you disagree?"

"Let's think of something else to do, El," Sam stood up, rubbing his hands on his thighs.

"I want to dance," she stated plainly, spinning in a circle. The three men all looked at each other with wide eyes, their chests heaving with anxious breathing.

"Okay, I'll turn on some music," Sam pulled out his phone until Dean put his hand over it, shaking his head. He moved over to the antique record player in the corner of the room and looked through the albums he had been collecting before settling on one and placing it on the player. He turned back to Sam and smiled just as the beginning beats of 'Thunderstruck' came over the speakers hung on the walls of the library.

"Ellie," Dean spoke loudly over the music, bopping his head with the loud drums as he walked towards her, "_This_, is AC/DC."

Her eyes grew wide as the song progressed, and a bright smile came across her face. She started jumping around, banging her head in time with the music. She ran over to Sam and pulled at his hands, trying to convince him to dance along with her.

"No, Ellie," Sam shook his head and tried to pry his hands out of her grip, "I don't dance."

"Anyone can dance," she continued jumping around, pointing to Dean, "See, Uncle Dean is dancing."

Sam turned slowly and watched as his older brother played air guitar and continued banging his head to the beat.

Ellie ran over to where Cass was sitting still in his chair and grabbed one of his hands, "Come on Uncle Cass, you too."

"I've never attempted to dance before," Cass cleared his throat. Ellie sighed, knowing what she had to do.

"Please, Uncle Cass," she pouted her bottom lip out and tilted her head down to look up at the angel with her best puppy dog eyes.

Cass moaned and narrowed his eyes, looking straight into Ellie's face. He reluctantly stood up, looking over to where Sam was looking at him with an eyebrow raised. The angel tightened his jaw and looked to the floor, starting to shift back and forth on his feet slowly. Ellie giggled as she watched him, then skipped back over to her father.

"Dad, dance," she shouted as she hopped up and down in front of him. Sam rolled his eyes and looked around the room from his brother who was currently banging on invisible drums to Castiel, who had started bopping his head along with his swaying. Sam looked down at Ellie, who had stopped jumping to glare at him, and smirked. He shook his head before bending over and holding his hands out for her.

"Let's dance."


	16. Chapter 16

"She'll be okay."

"Dean, I think I should—"

"Sam, we talked about this," Dean narrowed his eyes at his brother. "You can't be with her every second of every day."

"I know that, I just—"

"No," Dean interrupted, shaking his head. "Cass is outside looking for her amulet, then her and I are leaving."

"I can't do this," Sam's breathing increased, running a hand through his hair. "Dean, can I _please_ come with you?"

Dean sighed, looking at his obviously anxious brother. Sam's eyes were begging him, and his look rivaled Ellie's.

"Sammy," Dean began, "This is a good test run. We're just going to grab pizza. No pit stops."

"A good test run?" Sam repeated loudly, throwing his arms out, "This is my child we're talking about, not a new car."

"I meant a good test run for you, Sam," Dean held up a hand in defense, "For you to be able to let Ellie do things without you."

Sam scoffed, shaking his head before whispering, "After yesterday, she's scared. She's not ready."

"She's not ready, or you're not?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

Sam shifted his weight on his feet and cleared his throat, looking down at his feet. He knew his brother was right, but would never admit it.

"Fine," he said quietly, sliding his hands into his pockets. "But will you at least take Cass?"

Dean nodded, smiling. "Sure. If that'll make you feel better, I'll bring Cass."

Sam pursed his lips before turning toward the hallway, "I'll go get Ellie."

He walked to her bedroom and smiled as he entered, listening to her playing with her barbies by herself. She was currently pretending that one of them was an angel, healing another Barbie with her powers.

"El?" Sam knocked on the door jam. Ellie looked up and smiled, putting her dolls down and standing up. "Uncle Dean is going to pick up the pizza, do you want to go with him and Uncle Cass?"

Ellie tilted her head as she walked towards Sam, "You aren't going?"

"Nah," he waved his hand, "I'll stay here."

"Okay," she grinned up at him and rushed forward to hug him. He surprised her and bent down and picked her up, placing a hand to the back of her head as he squeezed her. "Dad, I can't breathe."

He chuckled and turned to rub his chin in her neck, loving the giggle that the move always elicited. She pushed away from his chest and looked at him, her eyes bright and a giant smile on her face. Sam couldn't help but smile himself, taking a mental picture of that beautiful face before she leaned forward and placed a quick peck on his cheek. He gave her one last quick squeeze before gently letting her down to the floor. Ellie walked around him and ran down the hallway to the map room where Dean and Cass were waiting.

"Hey, you ready squirt?" Dean clapped his hands together. Ellie nodded and ran towards him with a smile on her face. Cass held out her necklace that he had located, and she ran up to him and allowed him to place it around her neck. He made a turning motion with one of his fingers, gesturing for her to turn around. "Say bye to your dad."

She spun on her heels and ran up to Sam, wrapping her arms around his thighs. "Bye Daddy, love you."

"Love you too, baby. Be good," he hugged her shoulders before she quickly pulled back and ran back to Dean.

"I will," she called back as she slid her hand into Cass's and let him lead her to the garage.

"Dean," Sam stopped his brother in his tracks and waited for him to turn and make eye contact. "She's a runner. Make sure she stays by you."

"I know," Dean rolled his eyes, then groaned when he saw Sam's concerned look. "I'll watch her."

When they arrived to the pizza place, Dean saw exactly what Sam meant when Ellie again tried to open the door as soon as the car was stopped.

He rolled his eyes as he slid out of the seat, turning his head, "Chill, squirt."

"Whatever," Ellie mumbled, crossing her arms.

Dean leaned his head back into his car window, "Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought," Dean replied before reaching out and opening the car door. Ellie scooted out, looking up at him with narrow eyes. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, glaring down at her. She rolled her eyes and held her hand out, waiting for him to grasp hers.

"Good girl," he murmured as they walked around the car to meet Cass. As they walked toward the building, Ellie reached her other hand to the angel and slid into his hand. Cass looked down at her and then up to Dean, who nodded and raised his eyebrows before lifting her off the ground. Cass's eyes widened as he reached over with his other hand to tighten his grip on Ellie's arm so she didn't fall.

"Dean, what are you doing?" he shouted.

"You're supposed to pick me up," Ellie giggled, immediately understanding what Dean was attempting to do. "You both lift so I can jump really high."

Cass looked up at Dean, who rolled his eyes before miming the action for him. Cass slowly nodded, then looked down at Ellie and smiled. "I'd like to try again."

Dean chuckled and put his other hand out in front of them to keep walking, and about three steps in, he locked eyes with Cass and they both lifted their inside hands up, effectively pulling Ellie into the air.

She squealed with excitement, looking back and forth between them gleefully. "Again!"

Dean shook his head, pointing to where they were almost to the door of the cafe. Cass reached out and opened the door, letting Dean and Ellie in first.

"Hi there, can I help you?" the young male cashier asked with a little too much cheer for Dean's liking.

"Pick-up for Dean Campbell," he replied, watching as Ellie pulled Cass over to the vending machines lining the wall.

"You guys are such a cute couple," the cashier said as he took Dean's credit card and ran it through his machine.

Dean's face contorted in confusion, his head tilting to the side slightly. "Huh?"

The cashier gestured between Dean and Cass with his hand, a smile on his face. "You two. Your kid is adorable too."

"Oh, we're not…he's not…I don't…" Dean tried but failed to make a coherent sentence, his mouth opening and closing as he babbled.

"Oh, sorry," the cashier visibly blushed, turning quickly to grab Dean's pizzas from the counter behind him. "Here you go."

Dean slowly slid the pizzas off of the counter, looking at the cashier with the same confused look. "Thanks."

He turned and looked to Cass, jerking his head towards the door. The angel reached down and grabbed Ellie's hand, pulling her outside to follow Dean.

"Are you okay?" Cass asked as they walked to the car, Dean's face still twisted as he kept mouthing random words to himself.

"Yeah, that dude thought we were a couple," Dean shook his head, setting the pizzas on top of the impala so he could buckle Ellie in.

Cass tilted his head, waiting for Dean to stand back up to speak. "Why did he think that?"

"Two hot guys with a kid?" Dean shrugged, then grabbed the pizzas and fell into his seat. When Cass slid into the passenger seat, he handed the pizzas off to the angel.

"Boys can marry boys, Uncle Dean," Ellie piped up from the backseat. "And girls can marry girls. Anyone can marry whoever they want."

Dean chuckled to himself, looking down at his keys before starting the car. "Damn straight, squirt."

When they arrived back at the bunker, Sam was standing in the hallway directly adjacent to the doorway of the garage. As soon as the door opened he was there, pulling Ellie into his arms and carrying her the rest of the way into the library.

"Daddy, I can walk," she pushed against his shoulder.

"I know, I just missed you," he pulled her close and placed a wet kiss on her cheek.

"Dude, we were gone for like ten minutes," Dean muttered, placing the pizzas on the library table.

"So?" Sam let Ellie out of his arms, grabbing a plate from the stack he had prepared while they were gone. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, Uncle Cass let me play a game, but I didn't win anything," she dropped her shoulders.

"I tried to convince her to let me use my powers to get her a stuffed animal out of the machine, but she insisted that was cheating," Cass mumbled, moving to sit in a chair.

Ellie giggled as Sam handed her a plate with pizza on it, then took a big bite out of her slice before speaking with a full mouth, "Vuh gur fought ey vur murried."

"Ellie, swallow your food before you talk," Sam scolded her, reaching to wipe some sauce off of her chin.

She nodded and chewed quickly, a big gulp sounding from her throat before she spoke, "The guy thought they were married."

"Wait what?" Sam's head whipped to where Dean was now sitting with his head in his hands, shaking it back and forth.

"The man at the pizza place thought Dean and I were a couple," Cass repeated Ellie's words, scoffing when Dean punched him in the arm.

"Is that why he's my uncle?" Ellie tilted her head, looking back and forth between a laughing Sam and a mortified Dean. "Are you married?"

"No, Ellie," Dean cleared his throat. "Cass and I are not married."

"Oh. Okay," she shrugged, "That's good."

"Why is that good?" Sam looked at her, concerned.

"Because if they _get_ married, I can be their flower girl."

"I don't think she's comprehending, Sam," Cass whispered, leaning towards his friend.

Sam nodded, then scooted his chair closer to Ellie's and leaned down. "They're not going to get married, El."

"You don't know that," she smiled before taking another bite.

"Oh, but we do," Dean snorted.

"Maybe you'll fall in love," Ellie giggled, "like a fairy tale."

"Doubt it," Dean smirked at her.

"You guys could be like Anna and Kristoff," she exclaimed, her face brightening. Sam laughed so hard he almost choked on his pizza, grabbing a napkin to cover his smile. Dean fell back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling as he joined in the laughter, shaking his head. Cass merely tilted his head to the side, trying to remember the characters from the movie they had watched earlier in the week and deciding which of the two he would rather be in this scenario.


	17. Chapter 17

"Really Dean?"

"Yup," the elder Winchester continued mixing in the bowl he had stuck under his arm. "We need something to celebrate, so Cass and I figured out something we could celebrate."

Sam raised his eyebrow, "So you made Cass a birthday? Angels aren't born."

"It's the day that he pulled me from hell," Dean shrugged. "Figured that's as good a day as any."

"It's just weird."

"Hey, there aren't any holidays for a while," Dean shrugged.

"And you're," Sam paused, "Baking a cake?"

"How hard can it be?"

Sam nodded with his lips narrowed in a tight smile, then shook his head and turned to leave the kitchen. He found Ellie sitting with Cass in the library, bright colored paper strewn all over the table. Sam walked up and looked down at what she was drawing and chuckled.

"It's Uncle Cass's birthday," she looked up and squealed, "I'm making him a card."

"Seriously?" Sam looked over to where Cass was helping her spell out the difficult words.

The angel shrugged, "Dean needed cause for celebration, and both of your birthdays have already passed."

"Everyone needs a birthday, Dad," Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Okay, El," he rubbed the top of her head.

"When's my birthday? I can never remember." Ellie looked up to Sam, who had to think for a second back to the paperwork Crowley had brought from Amelia's home.

"October fifth," Cass supplied. Sam nodded towards the angel, grateful that he never forgot anything.

"So my birthday is kind of close, right?" Her eyes brightened.

"Yes, it's less than a month away," Cass responded.

Sam drew a shaky breath, thinking about the fact that he would have to figure out a birthday celebration for her in a few weeks. He knew Jody and the girls would help, but he still had to start thinking of what he could do special for Ellie.

"I'm going to be seven," Ellie stated proudly as she finished Cass's card. She held it up and smiled, content with how it looked. "How old are you today, Uncle Cass?"

"Uh," Cass tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe your number systems go that high."

"Whoa," Ellie whispered, "How are we going to fit all the candles on your cake?"

"Well I could only find one big candle that would work," Dean walked in, rubbing his flour covered hands on his pants. "So we'll just say that he's turning one eon old."

"I'm actually more than," he stopped, sending Dean's sarcasm, "Oh. Yes."

"Here's your card," Ellie jumped off of her chair and handed it to him. The angel looked down at it as if with fresh eyes, and not like he had helped her make it.

"It's wonderful, thank you," he smiled down at her, and she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck in a quick hug.

"Happy birthday," she turned and gave his cheek a quick peck, effectively making the angel grin even more.

"Okay, the cake is in the oven," Dean clapped his hands together.

Sam walked over to where Ellie had started playing with some small figurines on the floor she brought out from her bedroom. "Hey El, what do you want for your birthday?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, continuing to play, "I don't really need anything."

"Come on squirt, I'm sure there's something you want," Dean smiled down at her.

She scrunched her face in thought, then sighed and looked up at her uncle. "Nothing."

"Uh-uh, I can tell you thought of something," Dean squatted next to her, poking her shoulder gently. "Tell me."

"It's silly."

"I'm sure it's not," Cass added, standing next to Sam.

Ellie bit her lip, looking down at her skirt and playing with the bottom of the tulle. "I wish I had a house for my barbies."

"That's not silly at all," Sam reached out and rubbed the top of her head. "That's a good idea."

Ellie smiled as she shook Sam's head off of her head, then went back to playing. As Dean stood up, the timer in the kitchen began going off. He gestured with his head for Sam and Cass to follow him, shooting Ellie a quick grin.

"Stay here, squirt," he held up a hand as the three men walked down the hall to the kitchen. He waited until he was pulling the cake out of the oven to ask, "So, doll house?"

"Sounds good," Sam let out a long breath. "I'll look online."

"We're," Cass paused, looking down at his feet briefly, "We're allowed to get her more than one thing, correct?"

"Yes, Cass," Sam chuckled and slapped a hand onto the angel's back. "You want to spoil your niece, don't you."

"I have found that her happiness brings me happiness," Cass shrugged it off.

"You know what brings me happiness," Dean chimed in, carefully capsizing the cake pan and smiling as it fell perfectly onto the wire rack. "Cake."

Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head, then waved a hand at his brother and left the kitchen for library. When he got close, he looked and realized Ellie was not in the same spot they had left her. His gait sped up and as he entered the library, his eyes quickly searched the area as he called her name. He ran to the map room, continuously yelling her name as he looked all over for her. Cass and Dean heard him and rushed to the library, seeing a distraught Sam standing in the doorway of the map room.

"What's going on?" Dean asked, a concerned look on his face.

"I can't find her," Sam hissed, "I don't know if she's just hiding or if something happened."

"I'm sure she's just playing," Dean placed a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder. "She wanted to play hide and seek the other day, remember?"

"And we told her no," Sam growled, then turned and shouted, "Eleanor Winchester, get out here _now_."

The three men all waited a brief moment before they heard a small commotion from behind them near the telescope. Ellie peeked her head out from around the curtain, her eyes wide as she realized how angry her father was.

Sam tilted his head to the side, his jaw tightened as he pointed first to her, then to the ground directly in front of him. Ellie slowly crossed the room, her head hung low until she stood at Sam's feet, her gaze slowly moving up his body until it met his eyes.

"Sorry daddy," she whispered, biting her lip.

"You should be," Sam stayed at his full height, looking down at her. "Go to your room."

Ellie sniffled quietly before nodding and running past him to the hallway. Dean looked at Sam with an eyebrow raised, then snorted and shook his head.

"What?"

"You're getting real good at this 'dad' thing," Dean chuckled, "I can't believe you just sent her to her room."

"Shut up," Sam rolled his eyes, "She knew that would scare me. Why did she do it?"

"Because she's six?" Dean shoved his brother in the shoulder, "You keep forgetting that she's just a little kid."

"Well she keeps saying things that aren't normal for a kid to say," Sam ran a hand down his face, "Like last night, she told me that she wanted to learn how to shoot a gun."

"What?" Cass replied in surprise.

"Yeah," Sam scoffed, "She said that she needs to know how to kill monsters."

"Damn it," Dean shook his head, "This is what we were trying to avoid."

"I know," Sam pursed his lips, "She's growing up a hunter, whether we like it or not."

"Well I vote she doesn't touch a gun for a long ass time," Dean held his hand up.

Cass tilted his head in confusion, "Weren't you her age that first time you shot a gun?"

"That's different," Dean scoffed.

"How?"

"It just is," Dean shrugged his shoulders.

"Because she's a girl?" Cass raised his eyebrows.

Sam held up a hand, "No, because we don't want her to end up like Dean."

"Hey!"

Sam turned and gave his brother an exasperated look, holding his arms out. "You seriously saying that's not true?"

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt," Dean grumbled, "We all need to be on the same page with hunting stuff."

"I agree," Sam nodded, "We have to come up with a plan."

"I feel that she should be allowed to look at the lore," Cass stated plainly, giving a defensive look when he got concern from the brothers, "We can't exactly tell her she can't read, can we?"

"Fine," Sam responded, "But no weapons. At least not for a while."

"She should probably learn how to protect herself," Dean muttered, holding up a hand when Sam opened his mouth to interrupt, "Just hand to hand stuff."

"You want to teach her to box?" Sam scoffed, looking up at the ceiling, "I don't think she'll be getting into any street fights any time soon, Dean."

"True but, as much as we don't want to think about it, she could get kidnapped."

Sam looked over to the angel, his eyes wide. "Why would you even say that?"

"Sam, you and I both know that just because Inarus is dead does not mean no more monsters will ever come after her," Cass continued, ignoring Dean holding a finger to his throat behind Sam.

"That's what we're for, Cass," Sam hissed, "To protect her."

"I just think Dean should be allowed to teach her some beginner combat moves," Cass held up his hands.

"Fine," Sam bit his bottom lip, looking to the floor. "If she asks again about hunting."

"Okay," Dean rested a hand on his shoulder. "Sounds like a plan."

"Now," Sam inhaled deeply, "I have to go try and discipline her while she looks at me with those awful eyes."

"Now you know how the rest of us feel when you do it," Dean chuckled. "Cass, you want to help me decorate your cake?"

Cass followed Dean to the kitchen while Sam headed for Ellie's bedroom. When he got to the doorway, he found her sitting on the end of her bed, her hands clasped in her lap while her legs swung slowly.

"Ellie," he cleared his throat, taking a few steps towards her bed. She looked up at him with those big eyes, the few tears welling up making them look much more green than normal. "We told you no hide and seek."

"I know," she sniffed quietly, reaching up and wiping her eyes with her sleeve, "I'm sorry."

"You scared me," he whispered, biting his lips as he reached her bed and looked down at her.

"I know," she sighed loudly.

Sam let out a long breath, then bent over and put his hands on her shoulders, making her look into his eyes. "Don't do that again."

"Okay," her bottom lip pouted out before a couple tears fell down her cheeks.

Sam inhaled sharply before picking her up, wrapping his arms around her and standing up straight. "Love you."

"I love you too," she mumbled before she wiped her nose on his shoulder, a quick giggle escaping her lips.

"Ew, really," Sam rolled his eyes, pushing her out of his arms onto her bed. She fell backwards in a fit of laughter, her hair getting messed up as she plopped onto the pile of pillows and blankets on her bed. Sam looked at his shoulder and made an exaggerated disgusted face, reaching for the box of tissues on her dresser to clean it off.

"Is Uncle Dean done with the cake yet?" Ellie jumped off of her bed, wiping the last of her tears away.

"Probably," Sam shrugged, "Race you to the kitchen."

"Okay," she squealed, trying to push past him to get into the hallway. Sam stuck his hip in her way, shoving her backwards onto her butt before rushing out of her room. "Hey, no fair!"

"Sucks to be tiny," Sam turned his head as he walked briskly, then tripped over his own feet and fell on his chest on the floor. Just as he tried to push himself up, he felt small feet stomping on his spine as Ellie ran over him.

"Sucks to be clumsy!"


	18. Chapter 18

It was only another three days before an incident brought up a discussion related to hunting, when Rowena paid another visit to bring her a gift. The witch had been talking to Sam and Dean about her most recent run in with a vampire without realizing Ellie was eavesdropping from the hallway.

"You killed a vampire?" she ran into the library excitedly, catching the adults off guard.

"Um," Dean whipped his head around to stare at Rowena, his teeth baring with a concerned face before he pointed to the wrapped gift on the table. "Look, a present."

Ellie glared at him for a brief moment before her curiosity got the best of her and she walked over to the table. "Who's it from?"

"From me, your Auntie Rowena," Rowena smiled down at her as Ellie shook the box.

Ellie pulled the ribbon and lifted the top off of the box, her eyes brightening as she pulled out the soft red material. It was a knee length dress, with the bottom hem being irregular with small beads hanging off of it. The top had thin straps with laced designs on the bodice, which immediately drew Ellie's eyes.

"I love it," she squealed, throwing the box on the table and turning to hug Rowena, "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, darling," Rowena slowly wrapped her arms around Ellie's shoulders, a smile on her face.

"Dad, can you help me put it on?" she ran up to Sam, holding out the box. He nodded and pointed to the hallway, where she hurried towards her bedroom.

"Now might be a good time to talk about stuff," Dean added in a hushed tone.

Sam sighed and bit his lip, knowing that as soon as Ellie came back out she would want to ask Rowena all about vampires and other hunting things. When he reached her room, she was standing in her underwear, the dress tangled in her hands above her head. He chuckled and stepped forward, rearranging it and pulling it down over her body.

"Thanks," Ellie looked down and smoothed the material, swaying her hips. "It's so pretty."

"It is," Sam smiled, sitting on her bed. "El, I have to talk to you about something."

"Okay," she stood in front of him.

Sam explained the plan that he and Dean and Cass had arranged, going into just enough detail to satisfy her. She was very excited to start 'fighting class' with Dean, and to get to read the many books throughout the house that she had previously been instructed to stay away from.

"You know that this deal only works if you keep up with your schoolwork," Sam sat on her bed as she jumped in front of him with excitement. "If you aren't doing good in school, no more hunting stuff."

"Yeah yeah, okay," she waved him off, turning to run out of the room, "Can I go show Auntie Rowena how I look in my dress now?"

Sam reached out and grabbed her upper arm, pulling her back to stand in front of him. "Ellie, I'm serious. This is not normal kid stuff."

She sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes, "I know, Dad."

"Do you?" he replied a little more harshly than he meant to, "Hunting is dangerous, and we're only teaching you about it so you can be safe."

Ellie squirmed as he kept his grip on her upper arm, trying to push him away so she could leave the room. "Dad stop."

"Are you listening to me?" he grabbed her hips and held her directly in front of him, "This isn't a joke."

"Yes father," she replied sarcastically, tilting her head as she stared into his eyes. "Hunting is dangerous. I know. Can I go now?"

Sam sighed and released her, pointing a finger in her face, "This discussion is not over, Eleanor."

"Don't call me that," she mumbled, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I'm your dad, I can call you whatever I want," he smirked, making her giggle.

"Then call me something else," she shrugged, leaning to give him a quick kiss before turning on her heels and running out of the room. Sam shook his head, then stood to follow her.

When he arrived in the library, Ellie was spinning in her dress to show Rowena, who was clapping with a wide smile on her face.

"Beautiful, I knew it'd fit you perfectly," the witch bent over in front of her.

"Auntie Rowena, I get to start hunting soon," Ellie jumped up and down.

Rowena slowly stood and looked over to Sam, her eyebrows raised. "Oh really?"

Sam sighed deeply, shrugging as he pulled out a chair and fell into it. Dean chuckled from across the table and ducked as Sam picked up one of Ellie's crayons and threw it at him.

"How did you kill the vampire?" Ellie tilted her head, following Rowena as she walked to her bag.

Rowena looked out of the corner of her eye at the brothers, who were both giving her hardened looks. She smiled and turned toward Ellie, reaching out and twirling a piece of her hair around her finger. "Has your father told you about witches yet?"

"No, but I read a book about it," Ellie shrugged, biting her lip as she realized that her dad and uncle heard her.

"You what?" Dean leaned forward in his chair. "You can't read."

Ellie slowly turned and looked at him, a sweet smile on her face. "I found an app on dad's iPad that reads books to me out loud."

"Oh my," Rowena tried not to laugh, holding her hand up to her mouth.

"How do you know how to use my iPad?" Sam held his hands out.

"I'm six, not stupid," she rolled her eyes.

"Language," her father warned, pointing at her.

"Stupid isn't a curse word," she crossed her arms, "Plus, Uncle Dean says way worse words."

"Hey," Dean shouted, "We agreed you wouldn't tell your dad about that."

She looked him right in the eyes as she smiled and continued, "He said the F word. Twice."

"Ellie," Dean hissed, then closed his eyes and hung his head.

"Seriously dude?"

"So," Ellie spun around, satisfied by the argument that was beginning between her dad and uncle, "Can you tell me more about witches?"

"I don't think your father would appreciate that," Rowena turned and winked at Sam. "But when you're older, don't you worry. I'll teach you anything you want to know."

Ellie sighed, then leaned forward to whisper, "Dad says I can't use guns or anything like a weapon, but I don't think that magic spells count."

"Oh," Rowena nodded, her face turning serious, "Spells can be even more dangerous than a gun, my dear."

"Really?" Her eyes grew wide as she inhaled sharply, "Whoa."

"Oh yes, that's why you mustn't play around with magic until you're an adult," Rowena glanced quickly out of the corner of her eye and saw Sam mouthing a 'thank you'.

"Okay," Ellie moaned, looking down, "I guess."

Rowena placed a hand on her cheek, pulling her gaze back up, "Oh Eleanor, you have so much to learn. Don't try to grow up too quickly."

Ellie giggled as Rowena turned her hand and tickled her neck briefly, then smiled up at the witch, "Okay Auntie Rowena."

"Why do you listen to her and not us?" Dean yelled, holding his arms out.

Ellie shrugged, "Because you're boys."

Dean's shoulders dropped and he gave her a dead panned look. He turned to look at Sam, who just shook his head and closed his eyes.

"I give up," Sam scoffed.

Rowena walked by him and squeezed his shoulder, leaning down to whisper in his ear, "Just wait until she's a teenager, Samuel."

"Yeah, people keep saying that," Sam moaned, turning to look at Ellie as she remained in her spot with her hands behind her back, smiling sweetly at him.

"Love you daddy," she tilted her head and gave him a dramatically sappy smile, batting her eyelashes before she skipped towards the kitchen.

"Aye, you are going to have your hands full with that one," Rowena chuckled.

"We know," the boys both said simultaneously.

Ellie walked into the kitchen, smiling when she saw Cass sitting at the table, "Hi Uncle Cass, do you like my new dress?"

"Yes, it's nice," the angel looked at her quickly, then put his hand to his head and closed his eyes.

"Uncle Cass?" she walked up to him, watching as his face scrunched up, "Are you okay?"

He groaned slightly, then opened his eyes, "Yes, I'm sorry Ellie. It was just angel radio."

"You have a radio in your head?" she whispered, her jaw dropping. Cass opened his mouth to speak, realizing that he hadn't explained the full extend of his angel-ness to her yet.

"Um, yes," he began, "It's how angels talk to each other. We also hear prayers this way."

"Wait, so if I wanted to talk to you without Dad or Uncle Dean hearing, I could just pray to you in my head?" she smiled wickedly.

"I guess," he raised an eyebrow, "Or I could just read your mind."

"You can read minds too?" she shouted, her smile getting bigger by the second. "What else can you do?"

Cass smiled, getting off the chair and walking towards her. He held up his hand and lifted a spoon from the counter, floating it through the air in front of her. Ellie's eyes widened, and she watched as the spoon spun around her head slowly, then landed back on the counter.

"That. Was. _Awesome_," she squeed, jumping up and down, "Can you fly?"

"Not anymore," Cass sighed, one hand instinctually reaching for where his wings used to reside, "I used to have wings."

"What happened to them?" Ellie tilted her head.

"It's a long story," Cass chuckled, "But I don't have them anymore."

"That's sad," Ellie walked up and rested her hand in his.

"I suppose it is," he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "I can do other cool things, like if you ever get hurt, I can make you feel better."

Ellie's nose scrunched up in confusion.

"So you're like an angel band-aid?"


	19. Chapter 19

"Are you staying for dinner?" Dean asked Rowena.

"That depends, what are you preparing?" She smiled.

Sam shrugged, "We were probably going to go get tacos or something."

Rowena rolled her eyes dramatically, "Have you only been feeding that child fast food?"

"No," Dean dropped his head and dragged his foot along the floor.

"I've been trying to make her eat vegetables," Sam mumbled, "She doesn't like them."

Rowena smiled, tilting her head, "That's because she's never had them prepared by Auntie Rowena."

She then sashayed down the hall towards the kitchen, leaving a confused Sam and Dean in their spots in the library.

"Is she going to cook?" Dean finally found his words, pointing down the hallway.

"I think so," Sam said quietly as they slowly made their way to the kitchen.

"What are you going to make?" Ellie skipped around the room as Rowena examined the contents of the refrigerator.

"Well, we don't have as many options as I would like, but I think I could make a delicious chicken cacciatore."

Cass tilted his head, "Cacciatore means 'hunter' in Italian."

"What a coincidence," Rowena smiled as she pulled ingredients out of the fridge. Ellie looked at Sam as she tried to climb onto a stool near the counter, and he reached over and helped her up onto it. "Eleanor dear, would you like to help?"

"Yeah," she grinned, looking at the many different foods laid out on the countertop.

"Boys, I'll have to go make a quick run to the store," Rowena looked over the food, "I shan't be gone long. You three get cleaned up in the meantime."

"What?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Eleanor and I can't be the only ones dressed to the nines, now can we?" Rowena walked to the doorway of the kitchen, "No flannel for dinner."

"What?" Dean squeaked, "I don't have anything else."

"Sure you do," Rowena nodded, "And no trench coat, Angel."

Cass's eyes widened, and he whipped his head to look at Sam and Dean. Sam sighed, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.

"I'm sure you can borrow something from Dean," Sam muttered, turning to leave the kitchen, "Ellie, go play in your room while I take a shower."

"Okay, but when Auntie Rowena gets back I want to help her," she skipped down the hall.

Dean groaned, then nodded and gestured with his head for Cass to follow him so they could figure out something for the angel to wear.

About an hour and a half later, the three men all entered the map room at the same time. Sam had changed into a pair of black slacks with a white button-up and a black suit jacket, his hair still slightly slicked back wet from his shower. Dean was wearing a nice pair of a jeans with a black button-up, and Cass had a pair of Dean's darker jeans with a light blue button-up.

"We all clean up nice, huh," Dean chuckled, reaching over to fix the collar of Cass's shirt.

Just as Sam was about to respond, he turned and saw Ellie standing in the doorway of the library, her hands held behind her back.

"Dinner is served," she smiled brightly, moving to the side and holding her hands out to reveal the meal that was laid out on the library table.

The three men all walked up the three steps, inhaling deeply as they enjoyed the many flavors in the air. The table had been set with plates and silverware, although they weren't quite sure where Rowena got them from. There were even wine glasses at all but one of the place settings, the bottle of wine from their fridge in the middle of the table. There was a plate of some sort of asparagus dish, another with roasted potatoes, and a bowl full of rolls. Rowena then walked through the other doorway, the main dish in her hands.

"You boys look lovely," she smiled, "Sit down."

The three of them slowly found seats, Ellie wanting to sit by her father. Cass and Dean sat across from them, with Rowena sitting at the end of the table.

They all devoured the food, Ellie even eating seconds of her asparagus. Dean was completely silent almost the entire time, his mouth constantly full of food. The only time he spoke was when he was asking someone to pass him a dish. Cass even ate a hearty helping after some nudging from Rowena.

"This is amazing," Sam leaned back in his chair as he finished his last bite, wiping his hands on his napkin.

"So good," Dean muttered as he scooped more chicken into his mouth.

"Thank you, Rowena," Cass smiled at her.

"I helped too," Ellie piped up, raising her hand.

"Thank you too, El," Sam chuckled, reaching an arm around her and pulling her in to place a kiss on her cheek.

"You are all welcome," Rowena bowed her head slightly, "I knew you had probably not had a homemade meal in a long time."

"Not since the last time we went to Jody's," Dean's voice was muffled as he grabbed the last roll and shoved it into his mouth, "And that was months ago."

"Well, since I cooked," Rowena smiled, "You three can clean up. Eleanor and I will go play."

"Yay," Ellie squealed, pushing her chair back and jumped out of it.

Sam stood and began gathering the plates, yelling back to Ellie, "Go wash your hands first."

The three men got into a rhythm in the kitchen, with Sam washing, Cass drying, and Dean putting the dishes away.

"This was nice," Cass murmured as he dried the last plate, carefully placing it on the pile next to him.

"It was," Sam responded quietly, wiping his hands on the towel, "This is the kind of stuff we have to try to do more often. For Ellie."

"I know," Dean grunted, putting the pile of plates onto one of the shelves. "This actually felt somewhat normal."

"I don't think a witch cooking us a meal that's name means 'hunter' is normal, Dean," Cass tilted his head.

"You know what I mean," Dean shoved the angel's shoulder.

"I'm going to go see what they're up to," Sam turned and left the kitchen.

"I love it," he heard Ellie exclaim as he got closer to her bedroom.

He came around the corner of her doorway and smiled when he saw Ellie standing on a chair in front of her mirror, examining her braid that went all the way around her head. Rowena was standing behind her, smiling.

"Dad, look," Ellie jumped off the chair and ran to him, slowly turning to show him her new hairstyle.

"You need to learn some new ways to do her hair, Samuel," Rowena chuckled, "You can't do two ponytails every day."

"How am I supposed to learn?" Sam snorted.

"You're the computer genius, find some videos," she waved a hand, then turned back to Ellie, "I should be on my way, dear."

"Aw, okay," Ellie lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the witch, "Thank you for the dress."

"You're welcome, sweet girl," Rowena closed her eyes as she hugged the little girl's shoulder. When she opened them, Sam was looking at her with an eyebrow raised. She rolled her eyes and gently slapped his chest as she walked past him. "Hush, Samuel."

"Thanks Rowena," he turned his head slightly to speak as she left the room. He looked and saw Ellie jumping on her bed, laughing with her head thrown back. "Careful, El."

"I know," Ellie continued jumping, spinning in a circle. Just as Sam was about to tell her to stop, her foot caught in her blanket and she slipped, falling to the side. Her head smashed into her desk and she fell on the floor, her left arm catching underneath her.

Sam screamed her name and rushed forward, pulling her onto his lap as she began to cry. Her head was bleeding from a large cut in her hairline, and she pulled her left arm up to her chest.

"Dean," Sam shouted, standing and running into the hallway as Ellie began screaming in pain. He looked down at her and shushed her, "Shh, it's okay. Dean!"

His brother came around the corner wiping his hands on a towel, his eyes growing wide as soon as he saw the amount of blood all over Ellie's face.

"What the hell happened?" he yelled, rushing forward and pressing the towel onto her head. Ellie whined at the pressure, but Dean continued holding.

"Where's Cass?" Sam asked in a shaky voice, his chest trembling.

Dean shook his head, "He had to go do 'angel stuff', he just left."

"Then call him," Sam growled, unable to keep his eyes off of the blood covering Ellie's face.

"Sammy," Dean placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, "You know head wounds bleed a lot. She's okay."

"My arm hurts," Ellie cried, and Dean gingerly lifted it before sighing.

"We need to take her to the hospital," Dean leaned his head down to catch Sam's gaze. "Her arm's broken."

"No, we need Cass," Sam shook his head.

"Sam—"

"They'll ask questions at the hospital," Sam hissed, tightening his jaw. "Call. Cass."

Dean sighed before pulling his phone out, pressing the familiar contact. The phone rang several times before the voicemail picked up, and Dean shook his head and ended the call.

"He's not answering," he muttered, pulling one of Ellie's eyelids open to look at her pupils. "She could have a concussion, Sam."

Sam looked at his brother, tears forming in his eyes. He drew a deep breath before nodding and turning to head to the garage.

"Daddy, it hurts," Ellie cried as Sam buckled her into her booster seat, sitting next to her in the impala as Dean pulled the car out of the garage.

"I know baby," he whispered, holding the towel against her head. "We're just going to see the doctor."

"Uncle Cass said he could make me better if I got hurt," Ellie murmured, her head falling back into her seat.

"Hey, Ellie, stay with me," Sam pulled her face forward, her eyes opening slightly. "You have to stay awake."

"But I'm tired," she whimpered, trying to pull her cheeks out of his grasp.

"Keep your eyes open, squirt," Dean called back as he raced down the road, drifting the car as he pulled into the hospital parking lot.

Dean jumped out of the car and ran inside to inform the staff while Sam gently pulled her out, careful not to move her injured arm. The towel fell off her head, and he left it on the pavement as he ran into the building. When he got in, Dean had corralled several nurses and a doctor with his angry yelling.

"Please help," Sam whispered, his eyes still full of tears. A nurse came around the corner with a stretcher, and Sam carefully laid her on it.

Ellie grabbed his shirt as he tried to let go, her eyes widening, "Daddy, don't leave me."

"I'm not leaving you," he placed a hand on her cheek, looking straight into her eyes. "I promise."

"Sir, what's her name?" A nurse placed a hand on his back as they wheeled her back to a room.

"Ellie. Eleanor," Sam shook his head, watching as the team of healthcare professionals cut off her brand new dress and examined her head.

"And her last name?"

Sam swallowed loudly, turning to look at Dean with begging eyes. The older brother stepped forward and grabbed the nurse's elbow, pulling her back from Sam.

"Can I give you her information? He's a little out of it," Dean chuckled softly. The nurse smiled and held a hand out for Dean to follow her out of the room.

Sam kept trying to push through the wall of people surrounding Ellie's bed, but every time he got close a nurse would ask him to please back away.

"I'm here, El. I'm here," his voice cracked as he watched them prepare to start an IV on her good arm. He heard her cry out as the needle pierced her skin, and he had to turn around and look to the ceiling, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and hold back his tears.

"Sir," a doctor put his hand on Sam's shoulder, "We need to get a CT scan. Her head wound looks superficial, but her level of consciousness is concerning."

"What does that mean?" Sam rested a hand on his hair.

"It's probably a result of a concussion," The doctor held out his hands, "But it could signify a cerebral hemorrhage."

"Her brain could be bleeding?" Sam choked out, a few tears falling down his cheeks before he quietly continued, "She was just jumping on her bed."

"Accidents happen," the doctor patted Sam's shoulder before moving around him to leave the room.

Sam took this opportunity to sneak in next to her bed, grabbing her good hand and giving a tight squeeze. "Daddy's here, Ellie."

Her eyes opened and she searched the faces, smiling when her gaze landed on his. "Hi Dad."

"You're gonna be okay," he whispered, running a finger along her cheek where a nurse had cleaned the blood from.

"I'm sorry I fell off my bed," she pouted her bottom lip out, looking to the side.

"Hey, don't be sorry," Sam wiped a tear that escaped her eye, "It's okay."

"We need to get her to CT," a nurse gently pulled Sam's shoulders back. He nodded and gave her hand one last squeeze as they wheeled her away. He watched as the stretcher disappeared around the corner, his hands on his head as his breathing became rapid.

Dean rushed in, looking around the empty room, "Where is she?"

"They had to take her to scan her brain," Sam whispered, drawing a shaky breath. "The doctor wants to make sure there's no bleeding."

"Okay," Dean let out a long breath, "I got her all registered, as far as they know her name is Eleanor Campbell."

"Okay," Sam sighed.

"I texted Cass, too," Dean muttered.

"What if she's not okay," Sam whimpered, falling onto a chair in the corner of the room and throwing his head into his hands. "She could have brain damage. I should've stopped her from jumping, I…"

"Sammy, she's six," Dean said quietly, "Kids get hurt."

"I can't believe she got hurt jumping on her bed," Sam chuckled softly, wiping the tears from his cheeks, "Wasn't even a monster."

After about fifteen minutes, the nurses wheeled the stretcher back into the trauma room, with Ellie sitting up and smiling, a sling on her left arm.

"She's doing much better," the nurse laughed as Ellie sucked on a popsicle. She turned and looked at Sam, "They didn't find any signs of bleeding on the brain."

"Oh thank god," Sam let out a long breath, turning so Ellie couldn't see the tears of joy streaming down his face.

"You're gonna be okay, squirt," Dean leaned on the railing of the bed as the nursing staff left the room, closing the door behind them to give them some privacy.

"The doctor said I get to pick the color of my cast," Ellie squealed, smiling.

Dean tilted his head, then leaned close to her, "Uncle Cass could just fix your arm when we get home, you know."

"No," she shook her head, then put a hand up when it throbbed a little, "Casts are cool."

"Alright," Dean shrugged and chuckled.

Suddenly the door flung open and Cass rushed in, his face reddened as if he had been running for a long ways. He made eye contact with Dean, then looked down to Ellie and quickly walked to the side of the bed.

"Ellie, are you okay?" the angel moved to press his fingers on her forehead only to be swatted away by her good arm.

"Don't fix my arm, I want to get a cast," she looked up at him with a big smile.

"Where were you?" Sam whispered from the other side of the room.

Cass turned around and tilted his head, his lips pressed tightly together, "I'm so sorry, Sam. My phone was on silent."

Sam could see how distraught the angel was, and crossed the room to place a hand on his shoulder before moving to Ellie's side, "It's alright. I can't expect you to be around all the time."

"Still," Cass sighed before turning to talk to Dean, "Did they ask any questions?"

"No, I told them her last name is Campbell," Dean whispered, "I'm pretty sure we're okay. But we should probably get out of here as soon as we can."

"Dean, can you go ask the nurse when we can leave?" Sam remained at Ellie's side, holding her hand.

"They have to put my cast on," Ellie spoke up, "What color should I get?"

Sam smiled, "What's your favorite color?"

About two hours later, with some convincing on Dean's part to the doctor to allow Ellie to leave early, they all walked out of the hospital, Ellie settled into Sam's side as he carried her to the car. Her bright pink cast was so neon it almost glowed in the dark, and she kept looking at it with a smile on her face.

"You know squirt, this means you can't do boxing lessons like we were going to," Dean turned and winked at Sam as they drove back to the bunker. He looked in the rearview mirror where Ellie had furrowed her brow in deep thought.

"I didn't think about that," she murmured, "Maybe I should have Uncle Cass fix it."

"I meant we should wait for lessons," Dean moaned, inwardly cursing himself for not realizing that she would rather not have her cool cast if it meant she got to learn how to fight.

"Nah, I'll just have Uncle Cass fix my arm."


	20. Chapter 20

"You can't be in here."

Sam sighed, tilting his head and tightening his jaw. He looked over to the spot in the gym where Ellie was currently giving herself 'tough' looks in the mirror.

"Dean."

"I'm serious, man," Dean shrugged, "I can't do this with you watching."

"Why not?" Sam threw his hands out.

"Because it's boxing, and you're overprotective."

"Are you planning on beating up my six year old?" Sam scoffed.

"No," Dean shook his head, rolling his eyes, "But still."

Sam pursed his lips, sighing before he nodded. "Fine. I'll go do some reading. El, come here."

Ellie ran over to him, her pigtails bouncing as she skidded to a stop at his feet. He looked down at her and smiled, squatting in front of her.

"Listen to Uncle Dean, okay?" he rubbed the sides of her arms. He grabbed the sides of her face and smushed her cheeks, pulling her close to his face before whispering, "Kick his butt."

"You got it," she leaned forward and kissed his nose before spinning around and running towards Dean.

Sam stood up and bit his lip before pointing a finger at his brother, "Be careful."

Dean waved him off before squatting in front of Ellie, holding both hands up for a double high five. "You ready for this, squirt?"

Sam walked out of the gym, reminding himself to take slow deep breaths. He knew that Ellie would be fine, that there was no way in hell Dean would let her get hurt, but this situation still made him feel...weird. Between Ellie asking him to help her read lore books at bed time and now this, Sam knew that Ellie was becoming a hunter. Sure, she was only six years old, but her interest had been piqued and now there was no going back.

The night before, after Cass healed her arm and removed her cast, Ellie had been asking all sorts of questions about vampires. Ever since hearing that Rowena had killed one, she seemed to gravitate towards that kind of monster. When she first saw a picture of one in a book of Sam's, he expected her to be terrified, but she just laughed at their pointy teeth.

Sam walked into the library and skimmed the shelves, as he had been doing frequently lately. Due to Ellie's requests for lore books, he had been working on determining which books were appropriate for her. It was quite difficult, Sam discovered, as most books went into a little too much detail for his liking regarding how to kill the monsters.

He pulled a few heavy books into his arms and went to the table, smiling as Cass walked into the library. "Hey Cass."

"Hello," The angel looked around the room, "Where is Ellie?"

Sam gestured with his head to the right, "She's in the gym with Dean."

Cass nodded knowingly, a small smile on his face, "Right, boxing lessons."

"I still don't like it," Sam mumbled as he looked back to the books he had pulled out, opening one of them and flipping through the pages.

"You haven't worked a case since she got here, have you?" It was a question, but Cass already knew the answer. Other than the brothers going with Crowley to take care of Inarus's followers, Sam hadn't left the bunker without Ellie since she had arrived. Dean and Cass had worked a few random cases, a few ghosts and one werewolf, but Sam had been insistent on staying home with Ellie each time.

"I know," Sam sighed loudly, "I'm just grateful she hasn't asked to go on a hunt yet. I don't know how I'll react when that happens."

Cass tilted his head, "She won't be going on hunts for a long time, Sam."

"I know that," Sam waved him off, "But just the thought of it has me going crazy."

"We have years to prepare for that," Cass responded, walking up and resting a hand on the man's shoulder, "But are you going to hunt until then?"

"I just don't feel ready," Sam said quietly, biting his lip. "I don't know if I ever will."

Just as Cass opened his mouth to respond, they heard a high-pitched screech as Ellie came running into the library, her shirt and leggings covered in blood. Sam rushed to her, running his hands all over her body as he tried to determine the cause of the bleeding. He then realized that Ellie wasn't crying, but laughing.

"What the..." he trailed off, standing up.

"I did it," she giggled triumphantly, throwing her tiny fists into the air.

"Did what?" Sam asked, his face showing a look of horror at his blood-covered and yet enthusiastic child. Cass then cleared his throat, and when Sam looked over to the angel he noticed his brother, who was standing in the doorway of the library holding a hand to his face while blood slowly dripped through his fingers.

"I kicked his butt," Ellie smiled, crossing her arms.

Sam tilted his head and tried to muffle a laugh as Dean leaned his head back in an attempt to slow the blood coming from his nose. Ellie walked over to Sam and casually wrapped an arm around one of his thighs, resting her head on him as she looked up.

"Did I do good?" She grinned.

Sam chuckled, resting a hand on the top of her head as he looked at his brother, "What the hell happened?"

"I told her to try and kick my hand," Dean's nasally voice made Sam and Cass clear their throats as they tried not to laugh at him, "She missed."

"Here," Cass turned and found a bandana on a shelf, handing it to Dean to hold his nose.

"I knew I'd be a good fighter," Ellie pulled on the bottom of Sam's shirt to get him to look down at her, "I told you."

"Did you tell him you're sorry?" Sam looked at her with his eyebrows raised.

She looked up at him with her jaw dropped, releasing his leg as she pouted, "Why? He told me to kick him!"

Sam put his hands on his hips, narrowing his eyes at her. Ellie mimicked his stance, her lips pursing. Finally she gave up and turned around, sighing dramatically before Sam reached out and pushed her towards Dean.

"Sorry," she grumbled so quietly, it was almost incoherent, looking at the floor.

"Ellie," Sam warned from behind her.

"Ugh," she rolled her eyes, throwing her arms down in exasperation, "I'm sorry I kicked you in the face, Uncle Dean. There, happy?"

She whipped her head around to once again glare at her father, her nostrils flaring. Sam couldn't help but smile at her, even though he should have been angry with her attitude. Ellie recognized this and flashed her best grin, giggling quietly. Soon all four of the occupants of the room were laughing, even Dean as he held pressure to his nose.

"Uncle Dean," Ellie slowly walked over to where he had plopped down in one of the chairs, "Does this mean I don't get to take lessons anymore?"

Dean chuckled and then coughed from the blood draining down the back of his throat, pulling the bandana away to see that it had mostly stopping bleeding. "No, it means I'm going to be more careful when you're coming at me."

He reached out and tickled her sides briefly, making her squeal before she ran over to Sam. He looked down at her and winced, remembering the dried blood that caked her shirt and pants.

"El, go get changed," he pointed to the hallway. Ellie shrugged and skipped to her room, her pigtails bouncing. Sam looked to his brother, a smile on his face, "Dude."

"Shut up."

"You got beat up."

"Sammy..."

"By a six year old girl."

"Hush," Dean growled, "She didn't beat me up. She gave me a bloody nose. Big difference."

"I believe that making you shed your own blood constitutes as a 'beating', Dean," Cass spoke up, trying not to smile.

"I hate you both," Dean muttered as he stood, giving his face one last wipe with the bandana, "I'm going to go take a shower. You losers can figure out dinner."

"Whatever," Sam snorted, "But Dean?"

Dean stopped in his tracks, taking a deep breath before turning his head slightly, "What?"

"Be careful when you walk past Ellie's room."

Sam ducked just in time to avoid the book that came flying across the room before Dean stomped off to the bathroom. Cass let out a belly laugh, looking over to Sam with his eyes shining with tears from holding it in for so long.

"Suddenly, I'm not so worried about Ellie hunting," Cass took a deep breath, shaking his head with a big smile on his face, "I'm more concerned about Dean."


	21. Chapter 21

"I want Daddy."

Dean groaned as he sat on the edge of Ellie's bed, his head in his hands. He gripped a chunk of his hair, pulling on it to try and relieve some of the irritation he was feeling. He took a deep breath and sat up sharply, whipping his head to make eye contact with his niece.

"Dad's not here, squirt."

"Then call him and tell him to come home," Ellie sniffled, her knees drawn up under her covers and her arms wrapped tightly around her stuffed giraffe.

Dean sighed, tilting his head and tightening his lips together. He and Cass had finally convinced Sam to go out on a quick hunt, only one state over. It was going to be simple, just a rogue young witch that needed either some guidance from Rowena or a visit from Mr. Witch-killing-bullet. Sam and Cass had only been gone for a day and a half, leaving Ellie in Dean's care, and while she took the separation well at first, the last few hours had been getting increasingly worse. Now it was bedtime, and she was experiencing some pretty gnarly anxiety. Dean recognized this, and had tried some relaxation techniques with her, but nothing was working. He didn't want to call Sam, because he knew that no good would come from it, and it would only make Sam feel bad and never leave the house without her again.

"He's too far away, sweetheart," Dean reached out and rested his hand on her knee, "Even if he left to come home right now he wouldn't get here until tomorrow morning."

Ellie dropped her head onto her knees, drawing a sharp breath before the sobs started. Dean exhaled deeply, biting his bottom lip. He hated to see her like this, especially when he didn't know how to fix it. Suddenly he remembered what Cass had mentioned the first week she'd been there, and patted her knee twice before jumping off of her bed and running out of the room.

"Be right back," he called behind him.

Ellie kept her head down, sniffing as her tears slowed. She leaned over and wiped her eyes on her shoulder, giving her giraffe a tight squeeze. Suddenly she heard a strange noise, and slowly lifted her head to see her uncle standing in the doorway, a guitar strapped to him.

"Now listen," Dean began, his fingers plucking a few strings gently, "I'm no Taylor Swift, so don't make fun of me."

Ellie was able to form a small smile as she watched Dean tune the guitar. He cleared his throat, then took a deep breath before stroking a few chords, humming at first to try and find the right note. He began to pick the melody to Stairway to Heaven, messing up a few notes at first. Ellie rested her head to the side on her shoulder, her eyes blinking slowly as she watched him. When he began to sing, she smiled widely and lowered her knees, leaning forward in her bed.

As he finished the song, Dean had his eyes closed, afraid of the reaction from the six year old in front of him. When he peeked one eye open, she was laying on her stomach on the bed, her head resting on her crossed arms.

"You sing beautiful," she murmured quietly, giving a big yawn. Dean leaned over and rested the guitar against the wall, then slowly walked towards her bed. He reached under her belly, rolling her onto her back so he could lift her and put her the right way under her covers. He laid her back down and carefully covered her, then sat on the bed next to her head.

"You really like music, huh?" he gingerly reached out and pet her head, brushing a small piece of hair from her face.

Ellie nodded, then turned onto her side towards Dean, accidentally pushing his hand off of her head. He pulled it away initially, but she lifted her head and looked at him, "No, keep doing that. Please."

Dean smiled down at her and reached out, rubbing the top of her hair. Her eyes flittered closed, and she gave another big yawn before snuggling into her pillow.

"Love you, Uncle Dean."

He tried to hide the sharp intake of breath with a clearing of his throat, then swallowing loudly. He hadn't heard those words from anyone in a long time. He and Sam used other methods to demonstrate their love, whether it be Sam buying Dean's favorite beer or Dean purchasing organic food for Sam. As he continued to look down at the almost asleep little girl, Dean sighed as he realized that she was changing him, hell all of them, for the better. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her head.

"Love you too, squirt."

When Dean awoke the next morning, the first thing he realized was that he was not alone in his bed. For about a millisecond, he tried to remember if he had gone to the bar and picked up a woman, but as soon as he opened his eyes and recognized the female curled up next to his side he chuckled.

Ellie was curled up into a ball, her cold nose barely touching his side. He shivered when she mumbled in her sleep and reached out her hand, the cold fingers sneaking under his shirt onto his stomach.

"Hey," he reached his arm out and gently rubbed her arm, "Ellie."

Ellie shook her head slowly, further pulling her legs up to her chest. Dean realized that she had no blankets on top of her, and wondered how long she had been like that. He hadn't even woken up when she came into his bed, and if her freezing digits were any consolation for how long she had been uncovered, it had been awhile. He sat up, her cold arm falling from his belly as he reached down and pulled the blankets over her tiny body. Ellie shivered, her hands moving to cross in front of her chest to try and conserve heat.

"El, come here," Dean moaned, reaching under her and pulling her into his arms. Her entire body was cold, and Dean shook his head as he squeezed her to his chest, rubbing her arms to try and warm her up.

"I'm so cold," she whimpered, rubbing her nose against his chest.

"Well when you came in here why didn't you get under the blankets, goof?" Dean chuckled, looking down at her.

She shrugged, shivering again, "I thought you'd be mad that I came in here."

"I'm more upset that you're freezing now," Dean muttered, scooting to the edge of his bed. He stood and moved Ellie so she was straddling him, her legs wrapping around his waist. He pulled up one of his blankets, wrapping it around her shoulders as he walked out of his room. "You hungry?"

Ellie nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm always hungry."

"Good girl," Dean chuckled softly, rubbing her back, "You want pancakes?"

"And bacon?" Ellie added excitedly, giving Dean a quick squeeze around his neck.

"Sure," he walked into the kitchen, dropping the blanket onto the table and trying to place Ellie on the stool. She just tightened her grip with her arms and legs, shaking her head quickly side to side. "Ellie, I have to make breakfast."

"Can't you hold me while you do it?" she pulled away just enough to make eye contact with her uncle, her eyes wide as she tried the puppy dog look.

Dean narrowed his eyes as he looked down at her, then let out a big breath. He shook his head and pulled her over to one hip, making sure his right hand was free. Ellie rested her head back onto his shoulder, a small smile on her face as Dean started pulling the ingredients from the fridge.

Once the food was done, Dean nudged the shoulder Ellie was resting on, "Okay, time to get down."

She whined slightly as he carefully dropped her onto the chair, but quickly recovered once she saw her plate with pancakes, bacon, and eggs in front of her. She grabbed her fork and began to devour it, making Dean laugh as he sat across from her.

Just as Dean was about to place his first piece of bacon into his mouth, his phone rang. He reached into his pajama pants pocket and pulled it out, his eyes flickering over to Ellie when he saw the caller ID. He pushed the screen and pulled it up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello Dean," Cass spoke from the other end.

"What's up?"

"Sam got hurt."

"What?" Dean tried to hide his concern, keeping an eye on Ellie as she continued to scarf down her pancakes.

"The witch placed some sort of spell on him," Cass began, "She wasn't as young of a witch as we thought."

"Can't Rowena do something?" Dean growled, turning his head and trying to stop Ellie from letting her hear.

"She's trying," Dean could hear the worry in the angel's voice, and it was really starting to scare him, "She was able to reverse most of the effects of the spell, but Dean, it's very powerful."

"Well what is it?"

Cass didn't respond right away, again scaring Dean. "It's an amnesia spell."

"What?"

"Sam, he…he doesn't remember Ellie."

**A/N: I know, I'm mean. Tell me how mean I am in the review box below. : )**


	22. Chapter 22

"What do you mean, he doesn't remember her?" Dean hissed once he had left the kitchen, looking back briefly to make sure Ellie didn't hear him.

"Rowena was able to reverse most of the spell," Cass continued, "but the amnesia seems to still be in effect from the last few months or so."

Dean ran his hand down his face, drawing a shaky breath. "But Rowena can fix it, right?"

He could hear some murmuring on the other end of the phone, and Dean was about to repeat himself when the angel finally responded, "She's working on it in the backseat. We're driving home now, we'll be there by midnight."

"Wait, don't bring him back here," Dean growled, "Ellie will freak out."

"What happened?" Ellie asked from the doorway of the kitchen, her eyes worried as she looked up at him.

Dean's jaw dropped as he looked from her to the phone, "Cass, I have to call you back."

"What's going on?" her shoulders dropped, her face getting more worried by the second.

He looked down at his niece, trying desperately to find the right words to say. The longer he took, the more visibly upset she got, tears welling in her eyes.

"Is Dad okay?" She sniffled, reaching up to wipe her nose with her sleeve.

"He's..." Dean began, sighing loudly, "Listen, your dad is okay. He just got hurt in his...in his brain."

"Like when I fell off my bed?" her voice was almost a whisper as she looked up at Dean.

"Kind of," Dean groaned, running a hand through his hair, "He's having trouble remembering some stuff."

"Like what?"

Dean pulled his lips between his teeth, his chest heaving. He had no idea how to tell her without scaring the crap out of the kid.

"Rowena is going to fix him, okay?" he bent over and ruffled the top of her head, "They'll be here when you wake up tomorrow."

"Okay," she gave him a pensive look before turning back into the kitchen to finish her breakfast.

"I'll be right back," he shot her a quick smile before rushing down the hall to his bedroom, closing the door before he called Cass back.

"Hello Dean."

"Listen, if Rowena hasn't fixed him by the time you get back here, we need a plan," Dean spoke quietly, pacing in his room, "We can't let Ellie see him like this."

"I understand," Cass responded, sighing. "What should we do?"

"I don't know," Dean shook his head, "Let me talk to Rowena."

He heard the sound of the phone exchanging hands, and he could hear Sam in the background asking what the big deal was. Dean closed his eyes, hating that his brother had no idea just how dire the situation was.

"This is Rowena."

"I need a timeline," Dean growled, "When will he be fixed?"

Rowena sighed, "I wish I knew, dear."

"That's not a good answer."

"Dean, I have the Grimoire in my lap as we speak," Rowena sighed, "I promise, I'm working on it as fast as I can."

"Okay," Dean mumbled.

"He wants to talk to you."

Dean inhaled sharply as the phone was again passed, this time his little brother's voice coming over the speaker with an annoyed tone.

"I don't understand why everyone's freaking out, Dean," Sam scoffed, "So I lost the last few months, so what?"

"I know man," Dean tried to force a chuckle, "We just want to get you back to being you."

"Whatever," Sam laughed, "If not, no big deal."

Dean hung up the phone, gripping it tightly in his hand. He drew a few shaky breathes before shaking his arms, preparing himself to go pretend everything was okay around Ellie. As he entered the kitchen, he saw her reaching over to grab a piece of his bacon.

"Hey!"

She jumped, turning to look at him with giant eyes. Her mouth widened in a smile as she ignored him and pulled the piece of meat up to her mouth, taking a crunchy bite. Dean narrowed his eyes at her and hurried over to his plate, pulling it out of her reach.

"Mine," he mumbled, pointing at her with another piece of bacon.

"What are we going to do today?" she jumped down and took her plate to the sink, dropping it in.

"I don't know," Dean muttered with a mouth full of food, shrugging his shoulders, "You have school stuff to do today."

Ellie scrunched up her nose, "I don't want to do school."

"Too bad."

"Dad's not here, so I don't have to," she rested her hands on her hips and smiled up at him.

Dean shoved the last piece of his pancakes into his mouth, glaring down at her. He took his plate to the sink, resting his hands on the counter with his head hung low.

"I'm not arguing with you, Ellie. You're doing your school work."

"I'm not arguing either, I'm not doing it."

Dean spun around, his face hardened. At first, Ellie smiled as she looked up at him with a challenging look on her face. Once she realized that he was not in the mood, her smile slowly faded away. Dean slowly walked towards her, his lips pursing as he crossed his arms. Once he was at her feet, she waited a brief moment before looking up and meeting his gaze. Dean glared down at her, one of his eyebrows cocked.

"Listen," he paused, looking down his chest at her as he tried to take a deep breath, "I am not in the mood."

"Okay," she whispered, nodding slightly.

"Go to your room and get dressed. Now."

"Okay," she bit her lip, nodding again before she turned and moved to run out of the room.

"Hey," Dean shouted, stopping her in her tracks. She slowly turned around, looking at him with a slightly frightened look. Dean sighed, realizing he had taken out his anger at her. "Come here."

Ellie stayed in her spot, her bottom lip pouting out slightly. Dean tilted his head and held up his hand, curling his finger for her to walk to him. She finally sniffed and took a few steps towards him, her hands fidgeting in front of her. Dean cleared his throat, and it made her speed up, finally stopping in front of him.

Dean bent over and scooped her up, wrapping one hand around her waist and the other one pressed to the back of her head, pulling her head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, squirt," he whispered.

Ellie tensed for a moment before she snuggled into his neck, sniffling. "I'm worried about Daddy."

"Me too, sweetheart," Dean rubbed her back, giving her one last squeeze before he let her back down to the floor. "Go get dressed, okay?"

"Alright," she smiled before turning and running out of the room.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, between Ellie doing her school work on Sam's laptop and then just wanting to play with her barbies by herself. Dean was sitting at the library table, having put Ellie to bed a couple hours previous when he heard the bunker door open. He jumped up and rushed to the map room, shooting a quick glance down the hallway to make sure Ellie was in her room. Cass and Rowena came down the steps first, followed by a yawning Sam.

"Hey," Dean forced a smile, looking first at Sam and then to Cass. The angel tightened his jaw and shook his head briefly, looking down to the ground.

"What's up?" Sam stepped forward, stretching his arms. He slowly turned his head to the side in an attempt to crack his neck, a confused look coming to his face when he saw two barbies on the floor of the library. He turned and raised his eyebrows, pointing to the dolls as he looked at his brother. "You playing dolls, Dean?"

Dean cleared his throat, looking back to Cass, "You didn't tell him?"

"Of course not," the angel shook his head, "I thought he would be better by the time we got home."

Rowena took this opportunity to speak up, holding up a finger, "I'm very close to reversing the spell, if I may mention."

"Really?" Dean raised his eyebrows at her, "Then do it."

"I just had to wait until we got here," she shrugged, turning towards the infirmary, "I'll gather the ingredients."

"Should we tell him, then?" Cass whispered, not as quietly as he thought.

"Tell me what?" Sam walked over, crossing his arms, "What's going on? You've been acting weird since we left Colorado."

"Don't worry about it," Dean slapped a hand on his brother's shoulder, smiling, "Rowena's going to get you all fixed up, so it won't matter."

"No, tell me," Sam shouted, shrugging out of Dean's grasp. "What is going on?"

"Sammy, calm down," Dean warned, holding his hands out in front of him, "Once Rowena fixes the spell you'll know."

"No, I won't calm down," Sam's voice continued to raise as he gestured between Cass and Dean, "You both seem to think there's something really bad here."

Just as Dean opened his mouth to speak, his breath caught in his throat as he saw Ellie in the doorway of the hall, rubbing her eyes.

"Uncle Dean?"

Sam spun around, his jaw dropping as he looked down at her. He fell backwards against Dean, who grunted as he held his little brother up.

"Ellie, go back to bed," Dean hissed.

"Daddy?" she stepped forward, her eyes blinking rapidly from the bright lights. "Dad!"

She ran up to Sam, who froze in terror as she wrapped her arms around his legs. Dean closed his eyes, then turned back to Cass.

"Go get Rowena," The angel nodded and ran to find the witch.

"Ellie, come here," Dean reached over and pulled her off of Sam's legs.

"What? Why?" she looked back and forth between Dean and Sam, confused.

"What is going on?" Sam's voice squeaked, his eyes widened as he stared down at the little girl. "Who is this?"

"Dad, it's me," Ellie's eyes began to well with tears as she wrapped an arm around one of Dean's thighs. She moved behind him, her eyes barely peeking out, "Uncle Dean, what's wrong with him?"

"It's okay, sweetie," Dean turned and bent over, placing his hands gently on the sides of her face. "Rowena's going to make him all better."

"Dean," Sam growled, his jaw tightening, "What is happening?"

Dean slowly stood up and looked over to his brother, shaking his head. He couldn't believe he had to inform Sam that he was a father twice in one month. He looked down at Ellie, who was clearly terrified, and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder and carefully sneaking a glance to Sam.

"Sam, you know that the witch made you lose your memories," Dean began.

Sam nodded, crossing his arms, "And then Rowena tried to fix it, so I'm just missing the last few months."

"Well, a lot has happened the last few months," Dean chuckled softly, "Specifically, the last three weeks."

"What are you talking about?" Sam scoffed, "What could have possibly happened in that short amount of time?"

Dean sighed, turning his head and willing Cass and Rowena to come out from the infirmary. Just as he was about to begin the explanation to Sam, the door slammed open and Rowena and Cass rushed out. The witch had a large metal bowl which she sat on the map table, nodding at Dean.

Dean let out a deep breath and tilted his head to look at Ellie, "Hey, I gotta put you down for a second."

Ellie nodded, taking one last quick look at Sam before sliding down Dean's legs onto her feet.

Rowena walked quickly towards Sam, grabbing his hand and pulling it out, slicing his palm and dripping his blood into the bowl. Sam hissed, then used the rag that Cass handed him to press it to his cut. Dean watched as Rowena performed the spell, her eyes turning that familiar shade of bright purple as a puff of smoke came out from the bowl. Everyone coughed, then they all turned and stared at Sam, who was staring at the ceiling with his eyes wide open, irises pure white. Dean stepped forward, waiting until his brother sharply dropped his head, shaking it before he opened his now back to hazel eyes.

"Sammy?" Dean reached out, gently placing a hand on Sam's shoulder.

Sam jerked, looking down at Dean before clearing his throat, "Dean?"

Dean made sure to continue blocking Ellie from Sam's gaze, raising an eyebrow, "How do you feel?"

"Fine, I think," Sam shook his head, looking around the room.

Just when Dean was about to ask Rowena if the spell was done correctly, Sam spoke the two words that made his older brother relax for the first time all day.

"Where's Ellie?"

——————————————————-

A/N: I love reviews, they make me giggle. My giggle isn't as cute as Ellie's but still.

Side note: I can't believe I have 16 followers! Since this is my first fic, I wasn't expecting anyone to tag along, but I'm so glad you are! Hugs!!


	23. Chapter 23

"I want to sleep in Uncle Dean's bed," Ellie murmured as the three of them walked down the hallway. Cass had just left to drive Rowena home, and the brothers knew they needed to get Ellie back to bed. Sam looked down at her, his eyes saddened. He knew that she had been spooked when he didn't know who she was.

"How come?" Sam asked carefully, stopping in the hall and squatting in front of her.

"I just do," she looked at him quickly before reaching up and grabbing Dean's hand.

Sam nodded, swallowing his disappointment, "Okay."

"Let's go then," Dean said quietly, trying to gauge his little brother's mood as they walked by.

"Hey," Sam said quietly, making Ellie turn, "I love you."

Ellie bit her lip before slowly walking towards him and giving him a quick hug, "Love you too."

Sam tried to give her a long hug, but she began pushing against his chest so he released her while he cleared his throat. "Good night."

Ellie turned and grabbed Dean's hand, walking down the hallway to his room. Dean turned his head back as they walked, giving Sam a quick smile.

Once they reached his room, he bent over and spoke to her quietly, "Go lay down, I'll be right back."

Dean hurried down the hall, trying to find his brother. He looked into Sam's room and sighed, seeing him sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. Dean stepped forward, leaning his shoulder against the doorway.

"Hey Sammy," he said quietly.

Sam sniffed loudly and wiped his eyes before lifting his head, pursing his lips as he tried to hide the emotions on his face. Dean tilted his head, sighing. He hated seeing his brother like this.

"She's scared of me," Sam finally spoke, barely a whisper.

"Sam," Dean whispered, walking towards the bed, "It was a super weird situation."

The younger Winchester shook his head, biting his lip, "I knew I shouldn't have gone out on a hunt."

Dean scoffed, "Yeah, because every time you hunt you're gonna get hexed and forget your child."

"I'm serious, Dean," Sam stood suddenly, a frown on his face, "What if Rowena couldn't have fixed me?"

"Then I would've told you she was your daughter like I did three weeks ago," Dean shrugged. "It's not like you would've missed out on years."

"I already did," Sam yelled, throwing his hands out, "I missed six years of her life! I can't risk missing any more."

"Sammy, calm down," Dean held his hands out defensively. "You're overreacting."

"No I'm not," Sam growled, "I finally go out on a hunt and now my own daughter prefers you."

Dean exhaled sharply. So that's what this was about. "You can't be serious."

"Am I wrong?" Sam snorted.

"Sam," Dean stepped forward, resting a hand roughly on his brother's shoulder, "She had a rough night. You are her dad."

"For the last three weeks."

"Shut up, man," Dean was pissed now, shoving Sam backwards so hard he almost fell onto his bed. "You know she loves you more than anyone else in the world."

Sam sucked in a deep breath, his chest heaving. Tears again pricked his eyes, and he bit his bottom lip to try to keep them at bay. Dean took a small step forward, tilting his head to make sure he kept Sam's gaze locked on his own.

"Don't do this to yourself," he said quietly, "Or better yet, don't do this to her."

"Sometimes I think," Sam paused to take a deep breath, falling back onto his bed, "I feel like she'd be better off without me."

"Sammy—"

"No Dean, I'm serious," he clasped his hands in front of him, his head dropped in shame, "She's known me for less than a month and has almost died twice. Am I really the best option for her?"

"You're her father."

"Yeah, so?" Sam scoffed, "There are plenty of fathers out there who suck at being parents. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this."

Dean shook his head, "Sam, you're exhausted, okay? None of this is really you talking."

"I don't know," Sam reached up and ran a hand down his face, his gaze off to nowhere in particular. "I feel like such a failure."

"Hey," Dean replied gruffly, "With everything you got handed, you are _not_ a failure. You could've easily bailed and handed her off, but you took on the responsibility and, honestly? You're great at it."

"Shut up," Sam mumbled.

"Sammy, have you not noticed the way that kid looks at you?" Dean stepped forward, bending over and moving his head until Sam finally met his eyes, "She thinks you are the coolest guy on the planet. She loves you so unconditionally, even when you're making her eat disgusting healthy food. Do you know what I found last night when I put her to bed?"

Sam shrugged, his eyes turned downward but with a hopeful glint in them.

"She has that damn AC/DC shirt under her pillow, man," Dean continued, "From that first night. I asked her about it, and she said it smells like you so she sleeps with it."

Sam couldn't help the smile that crossed his face, tears again welling in his eyes but for a much different reason. "Really?"

Dean sighed dramatically, shaking his head at his younger brother. He was trying to think of another way to show him that he really was an amazing dad. Suddenly his eyes brightened and he reached into his pants pocket, pulling out his phone. He unlocked it and opened the app, scrolling up slightly until he got to the folder he had made the day before.

"Look," he handed Sam his phone.

As the younger Winchester slowly took it and looked down, his breath caught in his throat. It was an album in Dean's photos entitled 'Squirt + Sammy'. Sam swallowed loudly before opening it, a smile on his face.

He could've scrolled to the top, to start at the beginning, but the most recent photo caught his eye so he decided to start there. It was from a few days previous, when Ellie had given Dean his bloody nose. When Sam went to help her get cleaned up, Dean had told them to pose for a quick picture, both of them holding their arms up in muscle man poses. Ellie had still had her bloody clothes on, so the image held quite the story.

Sam swiped left, and chuckled when he saw an image of him signing Ellie's cast. Although she only had it on for less than six hours, she had insisted on Sam signing it. As he had taken the sharpie to write on it, he had realized it was the first time he was writing 'dad' on anything.

The next image made Sam cringe, as although it was from their nice family dinner with Rowena, the moment that was captured was when Ellie had gone onto her knees on her chair, pretending to give Sam a kiss on his cheek only to wipe sauce from her own face onto his. The picture was immediately after, with Sam making a grossed out face and Ellie laughing hysterically.

As he swiped left again, Sam sighed, his smile growing. It was a picture from their dance party, with Ellie and Sam somehow jumping in the air at the same time. Their hair was matching, flopping in the air and their faces scrunched up as they sang the words to the rock song.

Sam immediately recognized the next photo from when Ellie had the 'demon sickness' and had only wanted to sit on his lap in the kitchen. So many of these pictures he never realized Dean had taken, but when this one happened he was too concerned with Ellie not feeling good to notice. She was straddling his lap, her legs dangling on either side of his hips with her arms lazily falling on both sides. Her head rested against his chest, her eyes closed.

Sam wanted to frame the next picture. It was taken, if he was correct, the day that he had left with Dean to find Inarus's followers. He was rubbing his stubbled chin into Ellie's neck, making her giggle. Her face was lit up as she tried to squirm away from him, her mouth open from laughter.

The following image was from their spaghetti dinner, when Ellie insisted on trying the 'lady and the tramp thing' with Sam. He declined at first, but eventually the puppy dog eyes won and Dean had captured the moment right before the noodle broke and their lips met.

Yet another photo that Sam wasn't aware of Dean taking, the next picture was one of him doing Ellie's hair as she sat still and he focused on brushing her hair into a ponytail. Ellie's eyes were lifted up, as if she was trying to watch what Sam was doing.

He rolled his eyes as he flipped to the next image, remembering the moment well. When Cass had given Ellie another cookie because she used her puppy dog eyes on him, even though Sam had said no. The picture was snapped as Ellie looked at Sam with part of the cookie in her mouth and a cocky smile on her face, while Sam's eyes were rolled back in his head.

Sam laughed out loud at the next picture, from the first night Ellie had spent in the bunker. Her tiny body somehow taking up most of her bed, while Sam had been subjected to sleeping with his neck bent at an awful angle and his body curled up on the edge of the bed.

As he swiped to the last photo, Sam felt tears sting his eyes yet again. That first time he had really held her in his arms as she snuggled into his neck, upset after asking if her mom was in heaven. In the image Sam had his eyes closed as he pressed one hand to the back of her head, the other gently rubbing her back. That was the first time he had felt such a strong connection like that to any human.

Sam sniffed a few times and sighed, handing Dean his phone back. He looked up at his brother and nodded, clearing his throat.

"You have already changed that little girl's life for the better, Sammy," Dean whispered, sitting next to Sam on the bed, "She needs you, and you need her."

"Thanks Dean," Sam slapped his brother's knee, shooting him a quick smile, "For everything."

"Yeah well," Dean replied, standing back up and stretching his back, "You should thank me, because I'm the one who has to sleep with the freezing starfish tonight."

Sam chuckled, shaking his head, "I didn't know you had that many pictures of Ellie and I."

Dean shrugged as he walked to the doorway, "I was thinking of printing them out to hang in her room. You know, for her birthday."

Sam smiled, "That's a great idea."

"I know, I'm full of 'em," Dean winked before walking down the hall.

Although he was exhausted from the day's events, it took Sam a little longer than usual to fall asleep. His mind kept going back to seeing Ellie's face when Rowena's spell took effect. She had hidden behind Dean's legs, gripping his jeans tightly in fear. Even when Sam had squatted down to her level, she still looked up at her uncle before slowly walking towards him.

Just as Sam finally got the images out of his head, instead replacing them with the photos Dean had shown him, he started to drift off to sleep. Right before, however, he felt a small dip in his mattress followed by a familiar cold nose rubbing into his spine.

He would be able to sleep just fine now.

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews, they're helping to feed my muse! : )**


	24. Chapter 24

"There are so many," Sam grumbled, swiping around furiously on his iPad.

"Just pick one, I'm sure she won't care what it looks like," Dean took a sip from his beer. It was two days after Sam's incident, and Ellie was in bed for the night while the brothers searched online for her birthday present.

"I have to read the reviews," Sam responded, "I want to make sure the one I get isn't some cheap plastic that'll break the moment she starts playing with it."

Dean nodded, "Good point. She's a crazy kid, we need something sturdy."

"Here's one that's made of wood," Sam turned his iPad around to show Dean. It looked like a nice off-brand house, with three levels and multiple rooms.

"Would we have to put it together?" Dean raised an eyebrow, "That sure looks like a lot of work."

Sam shrugged, "I'm sure we could handle it."

"How big is it?" Dean took another swig from his drink.

"There's no measurements," Sam scrolled down, trying to find any dimensions listed, "It can't be that big, it's a doll house. I'm buying it."

"Alright," Dean shrugged, turning around to place his now empty beer bottle on the counter. "Hey, where's Cass?"

"I think he was going to watch a movie in his room," Sam mumbled as he put his credit card information onto the website.

Just then, Dean's phone chirped with a text message. He looked down at it and smirked, "Speak of the devil."

He opened his text messages and scrunched his face in confusion when he saw what the angel had messaged him.

_Come here. Now. _

Dean turned his phone to show Sam, who mimicked his confused look. The older Winchester pulled his phone back and responded.

_Where are you?_

He waited a brief moment before his phone chirped again, twice in a row.

_My bedroom. _

_Please hurry. _

Dean raised his eyebrows and shrugged towards Sam before they both walked to the hallway and headed down to the angels room. When he got closer, he noticed the door was open, which was odd. Cass always had his door closed when he was in there. Sam and Dean both slowed their pace, resting their hands on their guns tucked into their pants as they came around the corner.

Sitting against the headboard with his legs on the bed was Cass, trench coat and all, with his laptop poised on the desk next to his bed playing a movie. He wasn't alone, however. Ellie was laying next to him, her head on his lap as she snoozed peacefully. Cass's eyes were huge as he looked down at her and slowly raised his other arm, pointing down at her.

"Help. Me," he hissed in a whispered tone.

Sam snorted, holding his hands out, "What's the problem?"

"I can't move," the angel responded, still whispering as he kept glancing down to make sure Ellie was still asleep.

"Yeah, that's what usually happens when a kid falls asleep on you," Dean smirked, crossing his arms.

"What do I do?" Cass inhaled deeply, his eyes searching the Winchesters' for help.

Sam and Dean both started laughing, covering their mouthes to try and stay quiet. Cass tightened his lips together in a frown, upset that they were laughing at him.

"This isn't funny, Dean," Cass grunted, flinching when Ellie wiggled in her sleep. "I can't stay like this all night."

"Sometimes it sucks to be an uncle, Cass," Dean winked, snickering.

Sam shook his head with a smile before stepping forward, "Do you want me to put her back into her bed?"

Cass sighed, dropping his head back onto the wall, "Yes _please_."

Sam walked to the bed and reached under Ellie's knees and neck, carefully rolling her into his arms. She murmured slightly, then snuggled into his chest once he had her lifted from the bed. Sam raised his eyebrows to Cass as he left the room, shushing to try and keep her asleep.

Cass let out a big breath, bending his knees and sitting up. Dean chuckled and shook his head, moving to the open doorway.

"When did she come in here anyway?" Dean stopped at the door.

"About a half an hour ago, I suppose," Cass shrugged, "She said that you and Sam were not in your rooms, and asked if she could sit in here for a bit while I watched a movie."

"She must have snuck in here right after Sam put her to bed," Dean smiled, "What movie are you watching?"

"I was watching something inappropriate for her age, so I changed it to the Frozen movie," Cass sheepishly looked down to his clasped hands on his lap.

"Game of Thrones again, buddy?" Dean tilted his head, leaning against the door jam. Cass nodded quickly, a blush rising up his cheeks. Dean scoffed, then waved a hand towards the angel, "Come on, we're shopping for Ellie's birthday crap."

Cass tilted his head and gave him a disapproving look as they ventured down the hall towards the kitchen, "You shouldn't call it 'birthday crap', Dean."

"Eh, whatever," Dean shrugged, "She probably won't even remember this birthday when she's older."

"Actually, humans begin to form explicit memories as early as age two," Cass stated as they entered the kitchen. Sam was back in his seat on his iPad, his finger scrolling the screen once again.

"I thought you bought the house for her dolls," Dean mumbled, opening the fridge and grabbing another beer.

"I'm just looking at some other stuff," Sam muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

"She has enough toys, Sam," Dean walked towards his brother, leaning to look over his shoulder, "Seriously? She doesn't need more clothes."

"She is growing," Cass interjected, ignoring the angry look he received from Dean.

"I want to have something special made for her," Sam spoke quietly, scrolling through the craft website.

"Something special?" Dean snorted incredulously, shaking his head before pulling his beer bottle to his lips.

"Look, you might think it's stupid but I know she'll love it," Sam said gruffly, turning the iPad so Dean couldn't see the screen anymore.

"Still, never pegged you as an Etsy guy."

"Shut up," Sam growled, rolling his eyes.

"I have already ordered her several gifts as well," Cass spoke up from where he was leaning against the counter, "They should be arriving within the next two days."

Dean raised an eyebrow, "What did you get her?"

Cass shrugged, "Just a few things. Nothing too extravagant."

"Hm," Dean narrowed his eyes at him, knowing that the angel probably spent way too much money on presents for his fake niece.

Sam remained extremely focused on his iPad screen, his fingers moving and swiping at a rapid pace. Dean noticed his determination as he took another drink, slowly moving to the table before he reached out and snatched the tablet from his brother.

"Hey!" Sam shouted, jumping off the chair and rushing towards where Dean was holding the iPad away from him.

"What are you doing on here," Dean kept walking away from Sam, holding one hand back to push him away every time he tried to take the iPad back. Once Dean turned the screen and looked at it, he dramatically tilted his head and looked back to his younger brother.

"Shut up," Sam hissed, finally reaching out and grabbing the iPad away from Dean.

"That's adorable," Dean snorted, a wide smile on his face. "You're getting a shirt made for her that says Winchester?"

"I said shut it," Sam repeated, storming out into the hallway.

"Why are you making fun of him?" Cass asked quietly.

"What? Oh, come on. He knows I'm messing around," Dean waved a hand at the angel, "He's just going all crazy for her first birthday here."

"He's worried about it," Cass replied.

Dean turned and looked at his friend, his brow drawing close together. "What do you mean?"

"I can sense that he's scared," Cass continued, "I think he worries that she won't enjoy her first birthday since her mother passed away."

"Oh," Dean mumbled, tightening his lips, "Great, now I feel like an asshole."

"You should."

"Gee thanks," Dean scoffed.

"You know I only speak the truth," Cass shot him a quick smile before turning and leaving the room.

Dean inhaled deeply, looking down at his bottle of beer as he swirled it in a circle. He bit the inside of his lips, his eyes searching the floor as he thought about how to make it up to his brother. Suddenly he got an idea and nodded slightly, walking quickly towards the library.

As he peeked his head around the corner, he watched as Sam set his iPad down on the table and walked into the map room. Dean knew that Sam was headed to bed, and waited until he knew he was well into the hallway before he carefully walked into the library, snatching the tablet off the table and tucking it under his shirt. He then rushed down the hall to his own bedroom, jumping when he saw Sam coming out of the bathroom.

Sam gave him a slightly confused look as he walked by, interested with his brother's strange behavior, then slapped a hand to his back, "Night."

"Night," Dean responded, shooting him a quick smile before running into his room and closing the door. He pulled the iPad out from his shirt and swiped, inwardly cursing when he realized he needed Sam's passcode. He thought for a moment, trying to decipher the numbers.

"His birthday?" Dean mumbled, inputting 5283. He knew he only had two more tries before it would lock him out, so he grunted as he thought of another combination. Maybe he used the same numbers for the safe in the impala trunk? No, that one was five digits long, not four.

"Oh duh," Dean smacked his forehead, smirking as he typed in 1005. Ellie's birthday. The iPad jumped to life, the home screen popping up and Dean smiled. His eyes searched the apps, clicking on the 'safari' icon. Luckily, Sam tended to not close his browsers, so the website was still up. Dean chuckled as he realized what type of apparel exactly Sam was purchasing Ellie. He then leaned over, grabbing a piece of paper off of his desk and writing down the shop name and artist.

He was determined to make it up to his brother, and if that meant doing something he never thought he would, then so be it.


	25. Chapter 25

"This is insane."

"I know, shut up."

"Where the hell are we going to put it?"

"I have no idea."

Dean ran a hand through his hair, leaning back against the wall as he sat on the floor. He drew his legs up and rested his elbows on his knees, sighing loudly. He looked over to where Sam was trying to use one of the small allen wrenches to attach the stairs of the dollhouse. When they had received the box, they both realized that the house was _way_ bigger than they thought. It was almost four and a half feet tall, and equally as long.

The house was proving to be extremely difficult to assemble as well. Originally Sam had insisted on doing it himself, but soon asked Dean to help him. They were in one of the random bedrooms of the bunker, both sweaty from putting the damn thing together. Cass was keeping Ellie occupied in the library with some lore books so she didn't see what they were doing.

"It wouldn't be so hard if we didn't have to use these stupid things," Sam cursed as his hand yet again slipped off of the tool, his knuckles scraping against the edge of the wooden wall of the doll house.

"I thought you 'read the reviews'," Dean said sarcastically, using air quotes.

Sam grunted and looked over to his brother with a glare, "I did. Nobody said anything about it taking four hours to assemble."

"We're almost done, anyways," Dean shrugged as he crawled back over to where he had been attaching the elevator.

"I hope she likes it," Sam muttered as he stood to attach the last panel of the roof.

"Are you kidding me?" Dean scoffed, "This house is bigger than her. She's going to flip."

"We'll see," Sam whispered.

"Dude, why are you so worried about her birthday?" Dean asked, already knowing the answer.

Sam bit his lip as he focused on his task at hand, refusing to make eye contact with his brother, "I just want her to have a good birthday, that's all."

"Okay," Dean shrugged, knowing when Sam was done with a conversation.

Sam tightened the last bolt and took a step back, looking at his handiwork. He clapped his hands and smiled, "I think we're finally done."

Dean joined him, wiping sweat off of his brow before clapping a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Now we just have to keep her out of here until tomorrow."

"I'm tempted to just give it to her today," Sam chuckled.

"You know Jody would murder you if you did that," Dean snorted. Her party was the next day, and Sam had invited everyone that they knew with hopes of it being a good turnout.

"I'll just lock the door," Sam gently pushed Dean out into the hallway, reaching behind the door to turn the lock mechanism.

As the brothers walked down the hallway to the library, Cass came jogging towards them, out of breath.

"Cass? What's wrong?" Sam furrowed his brow.

"Ellie, she's chasing me," Cass bent over and held his stomach, "She calls it 'tag'."

Dean snorted and looked past the angel down the hallway, then placed a hand on his shoulder, "I think you're okay, man, she's not coming."

Cass took a few deep breathes before standing upright, "I don't like this game."

"Uncle Cass," Ellie squealed as she suddenly appeared behind Sam and Dean, apparently having gone completely around the bunker. Cass's eyes got wide and he dropped his head in exhaustion.

"El, Uncle Cass is tired," Sam chuckled, grabbing the collar of her shirt as she lunged towards the angel.

"Big baby," she whispered, sticking her tongue out. Cass dropped his jaw in surprise, looking down at her with narrowed eyes.

"Hey, be nice," Dean reached out and gently swatted the back of her head, "Your birthday's tomorrow, we could just return all your presents."

"Sorry Uncle Cass," Ellie groaned before looking up at Dean with a sarcastic smile, her eyes shining.

"I don't know if you meant it," Dean raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her.

She glared up at him, crossing her arms. When Dean mimicked her stance, his chest puffing out as he crossed his own arms, Ellie sighed and slowly turned back to Cass.

"Uncle Cass," she said quietly, moving towards the angel as she dropped her arms along her side. Cass looked down at her, his face scrunched up as she stepped directly in front of his toes. When her face turned up to his, her eyes were wide as she batted her eyelashes dramatically. "I am so, so sorry. Do you forgive me?"

Cass's gaze flipped from hers to Dean, then to Sam, who had his lips turned inward as he tried to stifle his laughter. "Um, yes. I forgive you."

Ellie smiled, spinning on her heels as she looked up Dean, batting her eyelashes at him a few times for good measure. "There."

"Where'd you learn how to be so sarcastic?" Dean pushed her head jokingly, making her stumble back a few steps.

"I wonder," Sam chuckled, tilting his head to stare at his brother. He then looked down at his daughter, who was giving Dean a dirty look, "What do you want to eat for your party tomorrow? We can have anything you want."

"Anything?" her eyes got wide as she smiled up at him.

"Sure."

"Pizza," she yelled, jumping up and down a few times. "Pizza from that place we had last week, with extra cheese!"

Sam scoffed, shaking his head, "Center Fire Pizza? In Smith Center?"

"Good choice," Dean nodded. Although it was twenty minutes away, it was the best pizza in the area.

"Yeah, that's what I want," Ellie grinned. "What time is everyone going to be here?"

"I told them noon," Sam responded as they all walked down the hallway to the kitchen.

"I'm so excited," Ellie bounced as she entered the kitchen, her ponytail jumping with her, "Wait, what am I going to wear?"

Sam smiled, remembering the package from Rowena that was currently resting under his bed. "Don't worry about it."

Ellie looked up at him with her nose scrunched for a brief moment before she shrugged and ran to the fridge, "I want a snack."

"What do you want?" Dean walked over and stood above her, both of them searching the contents of the refrigerator.

"Do we have green peppers?" she whipped her head around, looking at her father.

Sam tilted his head, taken aback by her sudden interest in something healthy, "I think so, there should be a couple in there."

Dean leaned his head forward and pulled out a clear plastic bag with two peppers in it, looking down at Ellie with an eyebrow raised, "That's what you want?"

Ellie nodded, taking the bag from him and turning towards the counter, "Dad, do we have tuna fish?"

"Um, probably," Sam tried to hide his confusion as he walked over to the cabinet, opening it and grabbing a can of tuna. He walked over to where Ellie was taking the peppers out of the bag, setting the can next to her. "What are you doing?"

"It's a snack my mom used to make me," she explained quietly, looking up at him with a somber look. "Can you help me make it?"

"Of course," he smiled, "Just tell me what to do."

Ten minutes later, Sam and Ellie were sitting at the table, enjoying their snack. Dean and Cass both stood at the end of the table, watching in slight disgust.

"It's actually really good," Sam shrugged, taking a bite.

"It's tuna," Dean paused, holding out one hand, "In a pepper."

"It's so yummy, Uncle Dean," Ellie spoke through a mouthful, "You should try it."

"Nope," Dean shook his head strongly.

Ellie grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth, tilting her head as she looked up at him, "You always make me try new food."

"That's because I make you try delicious things, like deep fried oreos and sweet potato fries," Dean scoffed, "Not chopped up fish in a pepper."

"I would like to try it," Cass reached out and grabbed a piece.

"What? You don't even eat," Dean threw his hands out.

Cass shrugged, "You know that I can taste molecules, and I've never seen these specific molecules mixed together before."

Dean watched in horror as the angel took a large bite, crunching on the pepper as the tuna slid into his mouth.

Cass nodded as he chewed, looking back to Dean, "You really should try it."

Ellie slid off of her chair, walking up to her uncle with a piece of pepper in her hand, "Come on, I'll even do the airplane thing."

Dean dropped his head, looking down at her as she giggled, holding the food out and making airplane noises, wiggling it around in the air. He rolled his eyes before bending over and opening his mouth, closing his eyes in a wince. Ellie carefully guided the pepper into his mouth, squeaking when his teeth came close to her fingers as he took a bite. Dean stood up, chewing slowly with his face scrunched up.

"See? It's good, isn't it?" Ellie watched as Dean opened his eyes, looking down at her. He nodded with a smile, holding his hand in a thumbs up. "Told you so."

Sam looked at his brother as he slowly chewed, then cleared his throat, "Hey El, why don't you go put your pajamas on."

"Okay," she groaned, turning and skipping out of the room. Sam grinned, looking up at his brother. He had known Dean for his entire life, so he was able to recognize certain emotions on his face, even if he was pretending to feel something else. He waited until he knew Ellie was out of earshot before chuckling and giving his brother the relief he needed.

"You can spit it out now."

**A/N: So a few things; first off, tuna peppers are the shit. If you've never tried them, you need to. Just put tuna fish into a cut up green pepper. **

**Secondly, in regard to the doll house: my brother bought this house for my niece, and he did exactly this, didn't realize how huge it was. If you want to know just how huge it was, here's the link. It's ridiculously giant. **

** KidKraft-65252-Majestic-Mansion-Dollhouse/dp/B0042F99PG/ref=sr_1_33?keywords=wooden+dollhouse&qid=1578167826&sr=8-33**

**Thank you all again for the reviews and follows, it makes me feel oh so good. I have the next chapter written, but I'll probably wait to post it until Tuesday-ish. Unless I get a bunch of reviews, of course. ; )**


	26. Chapter 26

**So I know this may come as a shock, but this is the final chapter. As I neared the end, I realized that it was time. ****_However_****, I am currently working on a sequel! Ellie will be a little bit older, but I can guarantee the same fun will occur. Therefore, to everyone following this story, I ask you to please continue following me on the next installment, which will be linked at the end of this chapter! It's called I Like Me Better. **

**One last thank you to everyone who followed me on this journey; this was my first fic I've ever written, and the views alone make me feel really good inside. The reviews just make me want to weep with joy. **

**Thanks again, y'all, and here's the final installment of One Thing Right! : )**

Sam woke up the next morning to Ellie screaming as she ran into his room.

"It's my birthday!"

She jumped onto his bed, scrambling up to sit on his back. Sam moaned, smashing his face further into his pillow. Ellie began bouncing on him, continually squealing about it being her birthday. Sam peeped an eye out to look at the clock, wincing when he saw it read 6:34.

"Yes, it's your birthday," he waited until she bounced up and flipped over, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her down onto his chest. Because she was so small, he could reach her ribs easily with his hands with his arms wrapped around her and he began to tickle her mercilessly. Ellie screeched and tried to squirm out of his grip, but he was holding her too tight. He reached down with his chin, rubbing his stubble against her neck to add to her torture.

"I can't breathe," she drawled in a high-pitched squeal between her giggles. Sam finally stopped, then let her bring her head off of his chest to look at him.

"Happy birthday, baby," he smiled, puffing his lips out for her to give him a kiss.

"Can I go wake up Uncle Dean?" Ellie sat up, her legs straddling his stomach with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Sam thought for a moment, then held up a finger and shoved her off of him, "Let me go do something really quick, then you can. Wait here."

He crept down the hallway towards his brother's room, trying to make as little noise as possible. He slowly pushed Dean's ajar door open all the way, smirking when he saw him sleeping almost diagonally on the bed. This would work excellently for his plan. Sam tiptoed to the edge of the bed, reaching under the pillow that Dean's head was thankfully not on top of. He pulled the piece of metal out and tucked it into the back of his pajama pants before creeping back out of the room.

"Go for it," he smirked as he saw Ellie standing in his doorway, her head peeking down the hallway. Ellie grinned and ran to her uncle's room, stopping at the foot of his bed for a second before she crawled onto it.

"It's my birthday," she squealed into his ear once she was seated on Dean's shoulders, poking his cheek.

Dean jerked awake, almost throwing Ellie from his shoulders as he searched for his pillow. When he realized his gun was nowhere to be found, he opened one eye and groaned when he saw Sam standing in his doorway.

Ellie began to bounce, giggling, "Wake up, it's my birthday!"

Dean moaned, pulling his pillow over his face, "It's too early, squirt."

"No it's not," she whined, yanking the pillow off of his head, "I want pancakes for breakfast."

"Your dad can make them," Dean growled, stuffing his face into his mattress.

Ellie shook her head, "Nope. I want your pancakes. And bacon."

"Ellie," Dean whimpered, lifting his head slightly and turning it, snorting when he realized that she had tilted her head down so her face was right in front of his, "I'm still tired."

"Too bad," she poked his nose, "It's my birthday, you have to get up."

Dean sighed loudly before smiling and suddenly pushing his upper half up, effectively lifting Ellie with him. She squealed as she reached down, wrapping her hands under his chin. Dean carefully stood up off of his bed, keeping Ellie poised on his shoulders.

"Fine, let's go," he mumbled, walking towards the doorway as Ellie continued giggling, holding tight to his neck.

All throughout breakfast, Ellie was incredibly giddy. She kept asking what time it was, to see how close it was to her party. Sam eventually got sick of responding, so he just told her that it wasn't time yet. A few hours later, Ellie ran into Sam's room with a hairbrush and her basket of bows.

"Dad, what am I going to wear?" she was obviously distraught, her eyes big with concern.

Sam smiled, then motioned with his head for her to come over to his bed. He reached under it, pulling out the box and handing it to her.

"Row—Auntie Rowena sent this for you to wear today," Sam watched as she ripped it open, pulling at the tissue paper roughly.

Ellie's eyes lit up as she pulled out the dress. The base color was a pale pink, with a multiple colored large flower print all over the entirety. It was knee length, with the bottom having a lace underlay that peeped out from underneath.

"Look at it," Ellie squealed, shoving the box to the side as she stood up and held it out, "It's so beautiful."

Sam reached into the discarded box and pulled out the final piece that Rowena had told him about, holding it in front of him for Ellie to examine.

"A flower headband?" her smile got even bigger, if possible. Sam nodded as she carefully took it from his hands, running her fingers over the fake flowers.

"Why don't you go put your dress on, and I'll help you put this in your hair," Sam took the headband back. Ellie nodded and ran out of the room to her bedroom, almost knocking over Dean in the process.

"Whoa," Dean held his hands up as she ran past him, "What's up with her?"

"I showed her the dress from Rowena," Sam chuckled, playing with the headband in his hand.

Dean watched as his brother continued playing with the headpiece, biting his lips. He knew something was bothering him, but waited for him to speak first.

"She's seven."

"What?" Dean leaned forward, almost unable to hear because Sam had whispered it so quietly.

"She's seven," Sam repeated louder, chuckling.

Dean straightened up, nodding, "Yeah, that's kind of what happens on a birthday. They get older."

"She'll be a teenager in six years, man," Sam set the headband on his bed and ran a hand through his hair, "Then she'll start driving, and then…"

Dean chuckled softly to himself, looking down at the ground as he slowly walked over and joined his brother on the bed. He rested a hand on Sam's knee, turning to look at him, "That's a long ways off."

"Is it though?" Sam scoffed, "I know it's only been a month but damn, I want her to stay this little forever."

"Well duh," Dean replied, "Right now we can somewhat control her."

"I just don't want her to grow up," Sam mumbled as he stood, his voice low, "She's my baby."

"I know," Dean slowly got up before pulling Sam down into a hug, "She's always gonna be your baby."

"I hope so," Sam whispered before patting Dean's back and pulling away from the hug. He heard Ellie running in the hallway and turned just in time to see her skidding to a stop at his doorway.

"How do I look?" she spun in place, her mouth open in a giant smile.

"Gorgeous," Dean grinned, looking over to where Sam was trying to conceal the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Daddy?" she slowly walked up to Sam's feet, looking up at him, "Can you help me with the flower crown?"

Sam smiled and reached back to his bed and grabbed the headpiece, leaning over to place it on her head. He made sure he pushed back the front of her hair so it wasn't in her face, and gently smoothed down the back.

"Do I look pretty?"

Sam sighed, then bent over and picked her up, smiling as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She snuggled into his neck, and he felt the cool metal from her amulet on his collar bone.

"You're perfect," Sam whispered into her ear before he pulled her head back and kissed her nose. Just as she was starting to try and squirm out of his grasp, they all heard the familiar clanking of someone knocking on the bunker door.

"Someone's here," Ellie squealed, pushing off of Sam's chest and running out of the room. Sam and Dean both laughed as they slowly followed her to the map room.

"Wait for us, squirt," Dean called out as she ran up the stairs. Ellie of course ignored him and tried to open the bunker door, quickly realizing she still didn't have the strength to turn the large metal knob.

Dean rolled his eyes as he walked up the stairs, glaring at her when he reached the top, "You know better than to try and open this door without one of us here."

"But it's my birthday," she smiled sweetly, holding her hands behind her back and swaying.

Dean narrowed his eyes at her before he looked through the peep hole, his hand ever present on the gun in the back of his jeans. He smiled before he looked down at Ellie, "Back up so I can open the door."

She complied, bouncing on her heels as the door swung open to reveal a group of women. Jody, Donna, Claire, and Alex all stood there, each with multiple wrapped gifts in their arms.

"Happy birthday, Ellie," Jody cheered as they all entered, smiling down at the little girl. Ellie raced down the stairs and into the library to where Cass was finishing up hanging the pink and green streamers. The women all followed her, placing their presents on a table that Sam had set up off to the side.

"Thank you for coming," Ellie remembered that Sam had told her to say this today to everyone, smiling up at all of them.

"You are so welcome," Jody leaned over and gave her a quick hug, "Ellie, this is Donna."

"Dad told me about you," Ellie stepped forward, shaking the blonde's outstretched hand, "You're a police woman like Jody, aren't you?"

"Sure are," Donna grinned, "You look so much like your daddy."

Ellie rolled her eyes, making the adults all laugh, "Everyone always says that."

By the time Dean had gone and picked up the pizza from the next town over, Rowena and Crowley had arrived. Of course there was tension between the humans and the witch and the demon, but Sam had made everyone promise to behave themselves for Ellie's party. Luckily, Ellie was very good at keeping the peace with her adorable personality. Once everyone was settled in and ate their pizza, she ran up to Sam and Dean at the gift table, her eyes bright.

"Can I open my presents now?"

"I don't know, you sure you don't want to wait?" Dean looked down at her with an amused look on his face as she scowled.

"No."

"Well, one of your presents is in your bedroom now," Sam smiled down at her, having heard from Dean and Cass that they had successfully moved the dollhouse into her room. "You wanna go check it out?"

"Yeah," she yelled before racing to the hallway.

Dean turned to address the guests, "Ellie is looking at her first present, and I'm sure we'll all hear her reaction shortl—"

He was cut off by Ellie screaming at the top of her lungs, then her footsteps as she ran back into the library, almost tackling Sam.

"It's so big, and pretty, and I love it, and it's perfect, and," she stopped, catching her breath. Sam chuckled and squatted in front of her, opening his arms for a hug. She lunged forward and squeezed his neck as tightly as she could, "Thank you, Daddy."

"You're welcome, baby," he pulled back and kissed her cheek before standing, "You ready for all the rest?"

"Yeah," she cheered, hurrying over to the chair poised in the middle of the library, bouncing on her bottom as she waited for Sam to bring her a present.

After multiple new Barbies from Jody and Donna, and a bracelet making kit from Alex, Ellie's jaw dropped when she opened Claire's gift. It was a nerf gun, with a shoulder holster full of extra foam bullets. She squealed and turned the box around, showing Sam.

"Claire got me a gun!"

All eyes shifted to the young blonde, who shrugged, "What? It's not real."

"Thank you so much," Ellie shouted, jumping off of her chair and running over to Claire to give her a tight hug. Claire was taken aback, but gave her a quick squeeze back.

Ellie continued her assault on her many presents, laughing when she saw that Crowley had given her a stuffed dog that was almost as big as her. Sam and Dean slowly turned to look at the demon, who mouthed 'at least it's not a real hell hound'. Rowena had brought her a couple more fancy dresses, with a matching headpiece for each one. Ellie took a while to open all of her presents from a certain angel, who most definitely had gone a little crazy. There were lego sets and baby dolls and a horde of stuffed animals and so much more that caused Dean to roll his eyes at Cass.

"So much for 'a few things'," Dean leaned over and mumbled to the angel, who kept his eyes pointed at Ellie and ignored the hunter's words.

"Next present is from," Sam paused, turning over the box to try and find a tag.

"Oh, that's from me," Dean lifted his hand. He leaned towards Cass and nudged him, causing the angel to nod and turn around, removing his tie, "But have her open yours first."

Sam raised an eyebrow at his brother before turning and grabbing the small box with her new shirt in it and handing it to Ellie. He didn't notice when Dean and Cass both slipped into the hallway, unbuttoning their shirts.

Ellie opened the box and pulled out the red jersey, smiling brightly when she saw that the front said 'Winchester' with a devil's trap sigil on it. She turned it around, giggling when she saw the back said 'ELLIE' with the number 7 underneath it.

"Thanks Dad!" she lunged over the arm of the chair, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.

Dean came back into the library, his button up pulled closed in front although the buttons were all separated, "Sam, that other one is actually for you."

"What?" Sam scoffed, looking back to the box.

"Just open it," Dean sighed as Cass walked back in, holding his trench coat closed.

Sam shook his head before tearing the wrapping paper, pulling off the lid to the box. It was another red jersey, identical to Ellie's. Sam tilted his head in confusion as he pulled it out, lifting the top of the box off.

"Aw," Jody whispered.

"That's super adorable," Donna chuckled.

"Okay shit, that's cute," Claire laughed.

Sam finally turned the jersey around, and his breath caught in his throat. On the back it said 'DAD', with the number 52, his favorite number. When he dropped the shirt to look back at Dean, he saw his brother and Cass both standing with their backs to him, having revealed identical jerseys that must have been underneath their shirts. Their jerseys said 'UNCLE DEAN' and 'UNCLE CASS', with their own favorite numbers underneath. The two men turned back around and Sam stood, walking over to them.

"You hate personalized jerseys," Sam muttered as he walked up to his brother.

Dean held a hand out, "No click flick moments."

"Shut up," Sam smacked his hand out of the way, wrapping his arms around Dean's shoulders. The older Winchester smiled as he hugged him back.

"You're welcome," he said quietly as they pulled apart, winking at his brother.

"We all have matching jerseys," Ellie stood up excitedly, holding her own shirt up as she looked back and forth between the three men's shirts, "Can we start our own football team?"

"Oh yeah," Dean snickered, "Two hunters, an angel, and a six year old. We'll win the Super Bowl for sure."

"Hey," Ellie shouted, putting her hands on her hips, "I'm seven now."

After singing 'happy birthday' and eating cake, everyone trickled out. After the last guest left, Sam noticed Ellie yawning in her chair as she finished her second helping of ice cream.

"You need a nap, El?"

"No," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes, "Naps are for babies. I'm too old for naps."

Sam raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her, watching as her head began to bob with her eyes drifting closed. He sighed and squatted next to her chair, rubbing her back.

"Ellie, everyone takes naps sometimes," he spoke quietly, snorting when he looked across the table at his brother, "Look at Uncle Dean."

Dean was sitting with his feet crossed on the table, his arms crossed and his mouth agape as he head hung backwards. He was completely out. Ellie giggled softly as she looked over at him, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Come on," Sam pulled her chair away from the table and pulled her into his arms, her head lolling against his shoulder as he stood. He carried her down the hall, pausing for a moment outside her bedroom. Cass had moved all of her gifts in there, her bed full of toys. Sam sighed and continued down the hallway to his own bedroom. He walked in and carefully laid her down, her eyes already closing.

"Dad," she moaned, holding tight on his shirt so he couldn't stand up.

"What's up?" he moved to sit next to her.

"Thanks," she mumbled with a small smile on her face, "That was the best birthday ever."

"You're welcome, baby," he bent over and kissed her forehead, a smile on his lip.

Ellie snuggled into the pillow, pulling the blankets up to her chin before whispering, "I love you Daddy."

"I love you more," he patted her back before getting up to leave the room.

"I love you most."

Sam almost turned around in the doorway when he heard those four words Ellie whispered. He felt tears sting his eyes, and just shook his head before leaving his room. After those little four words, he knew that everything was going to be okay. Once he heard her tiny voice say it, that simple phrase, he knew that with all of the wrong he had done in his life, he had at least done one thing right.

**There you go! As promised, here's the link for the sequel, I Like Me Better! **

** s/13472080/1/I-Like-Me-Better**

**Please jump over there and continue following this story, and following Ellie! : )**


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